Thesis (Ph.D. (Pharmaceutical Chemistry)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

L'association d'halogénure de tétraoctylammonium et de triisobutylaluminium permet de réaliser la polymérisation anionique de divers époxydes par activation du monomère. Ces systèmes catalytiques ont été appliqués à la (co)polymérisation de l'épichlorhydrine. Cette méthode qui a permis d'obtenir des poly(épichlorhydrine)s de masses molaires contrôlées jusqu'à 100 000 g/mol, a été étendue ensuite à la synthèse de copolymères, statistiques et à blocs, associant l'épichlorhydrine à divers oxiranes substitués : oxyde de propylène, éther tert-butyl glycidique et éther allyl glycidique. Dans le but d'élargir le domaine d'application de ces polyéthers ω-hydroxylés, l'introduction de groupements fonctionnels en tête de chaine a été étudiée. L'influence des substituants du dérivé aluminique et la nature de l'amorceur sur l'efficacité et la spécificité de l'amorçage ont été examinés. / Association of tetraoctylammonium halide and triisobutylaluminium allows anionic polymerization of epoxides by an activated monomer mechanism. This catalytic system was applied to the synthesis of (co)polymers of epichlorohydrin. The synthesis of poly(epichlorohydrin) was achieved in a controlled manner allowing the preparation of polymers with molar masses up to 100 000 g/mol. This approach was extended to the synthesis of statistic and block copolymers of epichlorohydrin with various substituted oxirane : propylene oxide, tert-butyl glycidyl ether and allyl glycidyl ether.In order to extend the application field of this ω-hydroxyl polyether, we have investigated the introduction of functional groups at the beginning of the polymer chain. For this purpose, the influence of the substituted group on the aluminium and the nature of the initiator were examined on the efficiency and the specificity of the initiation step.

L’époxyde hydrolase soluble (sEH) est une enzyme ubiquitaire, bifonctionnelle, codée par le gène EPHX2. La partie hydrolase (sEH-H) est responsable de la dégradation de facteurs endothéliaux vasodilatateurs, les acides époxyeicosatriénoïques (EETs), alors que la partie phosphatase (sEH-P) est impliquée dans le métabolisme des acides lysophosphatidiques (LPAs).L’objectif de ce travail a été de développer des outils méthodologiques permettant d'évaluer le rôle de la sEH dans la physiopathologie des maladies cardiovasculaires.Nous avons développé une méthode de quantification par CLHP-MS² des EETs et de leurs métabolites, les acides dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs). L'application de cette méthode montre que la dysfonction endothéliale des patients atteints d’hypertension artérielle et de diabète de type 2 est associée à une diminution de la libération locale des EETs lors de l'augmentation du débit sanguin, notamment liée à une augmentation d’activité de la sEH-H. L’inhibition pharmacologique de la sEH-H a permis de diminuer l’inflammation et l’atteinte glomérulaire dans un modèle murin d’insulino-résistance. De plus, l’étude des polymorphismes génétiques du gène EPHX2, codant la sEH, a permis de démontrer que la fonction sEH-H joue probablement un rôle important dans le contrôle de la fonction rénale et vasculaire des patients transplantés rénaux. Enfin, les résultats expérimentaux obtenus dans un modèle d’inactivation génétique de la sEH-P et l'étude des polymorphismes génétiques d'EPHX2 chez les patients insuffisants cardiaques suggèrent un rôle important de cette partie dans la régulation du métabolisme des lipides ainsi que dans le contrôle de l’homéostasie cardiovasculaire.Ainsi, les résultats obtenus au cours de ce travail soutiennent l’intérêt de développer des inhibiteurs pharmacologiques de la sEH-H pour traiter les maladies cardiovasculaires, rénales et métaboliques chez l’homme et suggèrent que la modulation de la sEH-P pourrait également constituer une nouvelle cible d'intérêt dans la prise en charge de ces pathologies. / Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an ubiquitous bifunctional enzyme that is encoded by the EPHX2 gene. The hydrolase activity (sEH-H) is responsible for the conversion of the endothelial vasodilator epoxyeicosatrienoic acids whereas the phosphatase activity (sEH-P) is involved in the metabolism of lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs).The aim of this work was to develop chromatographic methods and molecular biology techniques to evaluate sEH activities in cardiovascular diseases.We developed a LC-MS/MS method to quantify EETs and their metabolites, the dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs). Using this method, we showed that the endothelial dysfunction of hypertensive and type 2 diabetic patients is associated with a decrease in the local production of EETs during flow increase notably due to increased sEH-H activity. In a murine model of insulin resistance, pharmacological inhibition of sEH-H improved renal function by decreasing inflammation, oxidative stress and glomerular lesions. Moreover, genetic investigations of EPHX2 revealed that sEH-H may play a substantial role in the control of renal and vascular function in kidney recipients. Finally, experimental results obtained in knock-in sEH-P deficient rats and genetics findings in patients with heart failure strongly suggest that sEH-P is involved in lipid metabolism and cardiovascular homeostasis.Taken together, these results strengthen the interest of developing pharmacological inhibitors of sEH-H to be tested in patients with cardiovascular, renal or metabolic diseases and suggest that the modulation of sEH-P represents a new therapeutic target to treat these pathologies.

No description available.

No description available.

In the scope of our BACE1 inhibitor project we used an originally designed microtiter plate-based screening to discover 4 triazole-linked reduced amide isosteres that showed modest (single digit micromolar) BACE1 inhibition. Our ligands were designed based on a very potent (single digit nanomolar) isopththalamide ligand from Merck. We supplanted one of the amide linkages in order to incorporate our triazole and saw a 1000-fold decrease in potency. We then enlisted Molsoft, L.L.C. to compare our ligand to Merck's in silico to account for this discrepancy. They found that the triazole linkage gives rise to a significantly different docking pose in the active site of the BACE1 enzyme, therefore diminishing its potency relative to the Merck ligand. The ability to control the regio- and stereochemical outcome of organic reactions is an ongoing interest and challenge to synthetic chemists. The pre-association of reacting partners through hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) can often to yield products with extremely high stereoselectivity. We were able to show that anilines, due to their enhanced acidity relative to amines, can serve as substrate directing moieties in the opening of cyclohexene oxides. We observed that by judicious choice of conditions we could control the regiochemical outcome of the reaction. These studies demonstrate that an intramolecular anilino-NH hydrogen bond donor can direct Fürst-Plattner epoxide opening. A unified mechanism for this phenomenon has been proposed in this work which consists of a novel mechanistic route we call "NH-directed Fürst-Plattner." We further studied the opening of cyclohexene oxides by incorporating amide and amide derivative substituents in both the allylic and homoallylic position relative to the epoxide moiety. Our attempts to control regioselectivity in the allylic systems were unsuccessful; however when the directing substituent was in the homoallylic position, we could demonstrate some degree of regioselectivity. An additional project that the author worked on for approximately one year during his graduate student tenure is not described within this work. In February of 2009 AstraZeneca, Mayo Clinic, and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. concomitantly announced that AstraZeneca licensed a portfolio of preclinical Triple Reuptake Inhibitor (TRI) compounds for depression. The lead compound, PRC200, was discovered by a collaborative effort between the Carlier and Richelson (Mayo Clinic Jacksonville) research groups in 1998. The author was tasked to develop backup candidates of PRC200 in order to improve the pharmacokinetics of the lead compound. Due to confidentiality agreements, this work is not reported herein. / Ph. D.

This Diploma Thesis presents results obtained by solution of two partial projects: a) Preparation of monomers from renewable sources using metathesis and tandem hydrogenation catalyzed with ruthenium compounds - project solved during my Erasmus stay at the Université de Rennes 1 in France; b) Preparation and properties of ,-bis(tpy)quarterthiophene oligomers carrying ionic side groups as oligomonomers for polyelectrolyte conjugated dynamers - project solved at the Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague. Project a): Self-metathesis of 1,2-epoxyhex-5-ene (but-3-enyloxirane) and its cross-metathesis with methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile catalyzed with ruthenium compounds as well as tandem design of these metatheses and consecutive hydrogenation of their products by gaseous hydrogen have been optimized. The following influences have been studied and tuned: (i) type of the catalyst (Grubbs, Hoveyda, Zhan) and its concentration and method of dosing, (ii) concentration of reactants and additives, (iii) type of solvent, and (iv) reaction temperature. Reactions were monitored by the GC, GC and MS methods and the products were characterized by the NMR method. Methyl 6,7-epoxyheptanoate (methyl 5-oxiranylpentanoate) obtained by the tandem...

A metagenômica trouxe novas perspectivas ao estudo de comunidades microbianas no ambiente, permitindo explorar tanto a diversidade taxonômica de microrganismos ainda não-cultivados, como o acesso direto a genes e vias metabólicas. Neste trabalho, foram construídas bibliotecas metagenômicas a partir de amostras de sedimentos de mangue da Baía de Guanabara (RJ), impactadas com hidrocarbonetos de petróleo e metais pesados. Proteobacteria (33,3%), bactérias afiliadas a redutoras-de-sulfato (29,7%) e Firmicutes (20%) representaram os grupos principais nas amostras ambientais, baseado em análises filogenéticas de rDNA 16S, ao passo que isolamentos seletivos utilizando diesel e naftaleno permitiram a recuperação preferencial de delta-Proteobacteria e actinomicetos. Bibliotecas metagenômicas dos sedimentos enriquecidos com óleo diesel, com insertos entre 25 e 35 Kb clonados em fosmídeos, foram triadas para detecção de genes catabólicos de monoxigenases (alkB1) e expressão de epóxido-hidrolases, esterases, lipases e monoxigenases em ensaios de alto desempenho (HTS, high throughput screening). Clones reativos a alkB1 foram detectados, porém não foram funcionais nas condições de HTS testadas. Nas bibliotecas de fosmídeos triadas, vários clones apresentaram atividade enzimática, sendo que dois apresentaram atividade de lipase-esterase com alta seletividade, elevada taxa de conversão de substratos e excesso enantiomérico (ee >99%). Os resultados de HTS comprovaram a eficiência do uso da clonagem direta de DNA ambiental na expressão de vias metabólicas de interesse com potencial de aplicação biotecnológica. / Metagenomics brought a new perspective to the study of microbial communities in the environment, enabling access to the taxonomic diversity of uncultured microorganisms, as well as direct access to genes and metabolic pathways. In the current study, metagenomic libraries were constructed from mangrove sediment samples of the Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil), impacted with oil hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Proteobacteria (33.3%), sulfate-reducing affiliated bacteria (29.7%) and Firmicutes (20%) represented the main groups in the environmental samples based upon 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis, whereas selective isolation using diesel and naphtalene yielded delta-Proteobacteria and actinomycetes. Metagenomic libraries of diesel-enriched sediment samples, with 25 to 35 Kb fosmid inserts, were screened for detecting monooxigenase genes (alkB1) and expression of epoxide hydrolases, esterases, lipases and monooxigenases in high throughput screening (HTS) assays. Clones reactive to the alkB1 probe were detected, but were not functional under the HTS conditions used. Several functional clones were detected in the clone library, and two showed lipase-esterase activity with high rates of substrate conversion and enantiomeric ratio (ee >99%). The results obtained on HTS showed the efficiency of the direct cloning of environmental DNA for the expression of metabolic pathways with potential biotechnological application.

<p>This thesis describes the synthesis and application of new chiral bicyclic ligands and their application in asymmetric catalysis. The studies involved: [i] The development of novel chiral bicyclic amino sulfur ligands and their use in transfer hydrogenation. [ii] The development of the kinetic resolution of racemic epoxide through the use of chiral lithium amides. [iii] The synthesis and application of chiral bicyclic amine in the organocatalysed epoxidation of alkenes. [iv] Development and application of new chiral diamine ligands in the rearrangement of epoxides into allylic alcohols.</p><p>[i] The preparation of two-series of amino thiol ligands based on the structure of camphor is described, together with their application in the iridium-catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone using isopropanol as the hydrogen source. Excellent activity and good enantioselectivity have been achieved using 2 mol% of chiral ligand in combination with [IrCl(COD)]2.</p><p>[ii] The chiral diamines (1S,3R,4R)-3-(pyrrolidine-1-ylmethyl)-2-aza-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane and its (2R,5R)-dimethylpyrrolidine derivative were applied to the kinetic resolution of a variety of racemic 5-7 membered cycloalkene oxides with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) as the bulk base. Using 5 mol% of the chiral diamines, both unreacted epoxides and allylic alcohols could be produced in enantiomeric excess up to 99%.</p><p>[iii] The synthesis of chiral bicyclic amines and their use in the organocatalysed epoxidation of alkene has been described. Using a substoichiometric amount of the chiral amines and aldehydes as ligands precursors, with Oxone® as oxidant, a good activity but moderate enantioselectivity was observed for the epoxidation of trans-stilbene. </p><p>[iv] The preparation of 6-substituted-7-bromo-aza-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes via nucleophilic addition of organocopper reagents to 3-bromo-1-azoniatricyclo[2.2.1.0]heptyle bromide has been described. These compounds have been utilised as chiral building blocks in the preparation of novel chiral diamine ligands, which have been successfully applied to the catalysed asymmetric rearrangement of epoxide into the corresponding allylic alcohol.</p>

This thesis describes the synthesis and application of new chiral bicyclic ligands and their application in asymmetric catalysis. The studies involved: [i] The development of novel chiral bicyclic amino sulfur ligands and their use in transfer hydrogenation. [ii] The development of the kinetic resolution of racemic epoxide through the use of chiral lithium amides. [iii] The synthesis and application of chiral bicyclic amine in the organocatalysed epoxidation of alkenes. [iv] Development and application of new chiral diamine ligands in the rearrangement of epoxides into allylic alcohols. [i] The preparation of two-series of amino thiol ligands based on the structure of camphor is described, together with their application in the iridium-catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone using isopropanol as the hydrogen source. Excellent activity and good enantioselectivity have been achieved using 2 mol% of chiral ligand in combination with [IrCl(COD)]2. [ii] The chiral diamines (1S,3R,4R)-3-(pyrrolidine-1-ylmethyl)-2-aza-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane and its (2R,5R)-dimethylpyrrolidine derivative were applied to the kinetic resolution of a variety of racemic 5-7 membered cycloalkene oxides with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) as the bulk base. Using 5 mol% of the chiral diamines, both unreacted epoxides and allylic alcohols could be produced in enantiomeric excess up to 99%. [iii] The synthesis of chiral bicyclic amines and their use in the organocatalysed epoxidation of alkene has been described. Using a substoichiometric amount of the chiral amines and aldehydes as ligands precursors, with Oxone® as oxidant, a good activity but moderate enantioselectivity was observed for the epoxidation of trans-stilbene. [iv] The preparation of 6-substituted-7-bromo-aza-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes via nucleophilic addition of organocopper reagents to 3-bromo-1-azoniatricyclo[2.2.1.0]heptyle bromide has been described. These compounds have been utilised as chiral building blocks in the preparation of novel chiral diamine ligands, which have been successfully applied to the catalysed asymmetric rearrangement of epoxide into the corresponding allylic alcohol.