Multicomponent ligand interactions are involved in essentially all nanoparticle (NP) applications. However, the ligand conformation and ligand binding mechanisms on NPs are highly controversial. The research reported here is focused on deepening the fundamental understanding of multicomponent ligand interactions with gold and silver nanoparticles (AuNPs and AgNPs) in water. We demonstrated that AuNPs passivated by saturated layer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-SH) have large fractions of AuNP surface area available for ligand adsorption and exchange. The fraction of AuNP surface area passivated by PEG-SH with molecular weights of 2000, 5000, and 30000 g/mol was calculated to be ~ 25%, ~20%, and ~9% using 2-mercaptobenzimidazole and adenine as model ligands. The effect of both reduced and oxidized protein cysteine residues on protein interactions with AgNPs was investigated. The model proteins included wild-type and mutated GB3 variants with 0, 1, or 2 reduced cysteine residues. Bovine serum albumin containing 34 oxidized (disulfide-linked) and 1 reduced cysteine residues was also included. Protein cysteine content that were found to have no detectable effect on kinetics of protein/AgNP binding. However, only proteins that contain reduced cysteine induced significant AgNP dissolution. We further demonstrated that organothiols can induce both AgNP disintegration and formation under ambient conditions by simply mixing organothiols with AgNPs or AgNO3, respectively. Surface plasmon- and fluorescence-active AgNPs formed by changing the concentration ratio between Ag+ and organothiol. Organothiols also induced AuNP formation by mixing HAuCl4 with organothiols, but no AuNP disintegration occured. Finally, we proposed that multicomponent ligand binding to AuNPs can be highly dependent on the sequence of ligand mixing with AuNPs. Quantitative studies revealed that competitive adenine and glutathione adsorption onto both as-synthesized and PEG-SH functionalized AuNPs is predominantly a kinetically controlled process. Besides providing new insights on multicomponent ligand interactions with colloidal AuNPs and AgNPs, this study opens a new avenue for fabrication of novel nanomaterials in biological/biomedical applications.

GPCRs, particularly muscarinic receptors (mAChRs), are significant therapeutic targets in many physiological conditions. The significance of dualsteric hybrids selectively targeting mAChR subtypes is their great advantage in avoiding undesired side effects. This is attained by exploitation of the high affinity of ligand-binding to the orthosteric site and the structural diversity of the allosteric site to target an individual mAChR subtype, as well as offering signal bias to avoiding undesired transduction pathways. Furthermore, dualsteric targeting of mAChR subtypes helps in the elucidation of the physiological role of each individual mAChR subtype. The first project was the attempt of synthesis of the M2-preferring ligand AFDX-384. AFDX-384 is known to preferentially bind to the M2 receptor subtype as an orthosteric antagonist, with partial interaction with residues in the allosteric site. This project aimed to re-trace the synthesis route of AFDX-384, to open the door to its upscaling and the future synthesis of AFDX-type dualsteric ligands. The multi-step synthesis of AFDX-384 is achieved through the synthesis of its 2 precursors, the chloro acyl derivative VIII and the piperidinyl derivative IV. Upscaled synthesis of the piperidinyl derivative IV was attained. Synthesis of the chloro acyl compound VIII was attempted. Several trials to synthesize the benzopyridodiazepine nucleus as well as its chloro-acylation resulted in the production of the novel crystal structures V and VI. X-ray crystallography was also done for crystallized molecules of the closed-ring benzopyridodiazepine VII that was previously synthesized. Chloro-acylation reactions of compound VII using phosgene seem to be attainable when done using reflux overnight. However, the use of methanol to aid in elution during silica gel column chromatography converted the expected product to the carbamate analogue IX. Hence, further attempts in purification should refrain from the use of methanol. The use of triphosgene instead of phosgene demonstrates a cleaner route for further upscaled synthesis. The second project was the synthesis of dualsteric ligands involving variable orthosteric and allosteric moieties. Four different types of hybrids have been created over multiple steps. Dualsteric ligands have been synthesized using either a phthalimido- or 1,8-naphthalimidopropylamino moiety as the allosteric-binding group, coupled to either N-desmethyl pirenzepine or N-desmethyl clozapine using variable chain lengths. Furthermore, the synthesis of the dualsteric ligands involving N-desmethyl clozapine linked to either the super-agonist iperoxo or acetylcholine, and being connected using variable alkane chain lengths. Several reaction conditions have been investigated throughout the analysis of the optimal condition to conduct the critical final step of synthesis of these dualsteric hybrids, which involves the linking of the two segments of the hybrid together. The optimal method, which produced the least side products and highest yield, was to connect the two intermediates of the compound in absence of base, catalyst or microwaves while stirring at 35 °C for several days using acetonitrile as solvent (silica gel TLC monitoring, 0.2 M aqueous KNO3/MeOH 2:3). The ideal purification methods for the final compounds were found to be either crystallization from the reaction medium or using C18 reverse phase silica gel flash chromatography (using H2O/MeOH solvent system). All the hybrids will be subjected to pharmacological testing using the appropriate FRET assays. / G-Protein-gekoppelte Rezeptoren (GPCRs), besonders die Familie der muscarinischen Rezeptoren, stellen wichtige therapeutische Zielstrukturen für die Behandlung einer Vielzahl an Erkrankungen dar. Die Besonderheit dualsterischer Hybridliganden, die selektiv an den muskarinischen Acetylcholinrezeptor (mAChR) binden liegt darin begründet, dass so ungewünschte Nebenwirkungen vermieden werden können. Dies wird durch die Ausnutzung der hohen Bindungsaffinität an die orthostere Stelle sowie die strukturelle Vielfältigkeit der allosteren Bindestelle erreicht, wodurch bestimmte mAChR-Subtypen adressiert und eine funktionelle Selektivität erreicht werden kann, die unerwünschte Signaltransduktionswege umgeht. Desweiteren kann die dualstere Adressierung der mAChR-Subtypen dazu beitragen, die physiologische Funktion eines jeden Rezeptors zu bestimmen und aufzuklären. Das Ziel des ersten Teilprojektes war die Synthese des bevorzugt an M2 bindenden Liganden AFDX-384. Von diesem ist bekannt, als orthosterer Agonist bevorzugt an den M2-Rezeptorsubtyp zu binden und zum Teil Interaktionen in der allosteren Bindestelle einzugehen. Hierbei sollte die Darstellungsroute von AFDX-384 nachvollzogen werden, um eine Synthese in größerem Maßstab zu entwickeln und die Herstellung weiterer dualsterer Liganden vom AFDX-Typ zu ermöglichen. Die mehrstufige Synthese von AFDX-384 geht von zwei Vorstufen aus, dem Chloracyl VIII sowie dem Piperidinylderivat IV. Zunächst wurde das Upscaling der Synthese von IV erreicht und die Darstellung von VIII versucht. Mehrere Versuche, den Benzopyridodiazepin-Kern sowie das entsprechende chloracetylierte Derivat zu erhalten, führten zur Bildung der neuen Strukturen V und VI. Das zuvor synthetisierte, ringgeschlossene Benzopyridodiazepin VII wurde mittels Röntgenkristallstrukturanalyse charakterisiert. Die Chloracylierung von VII schien mittels Phosgens und unter Rückfluss über Nacht möglich zu sein. Allerdings wurde das Reaktionsprodukt durch den Einfluss von Methanol, das während der chromatographischen Reinigung als Fließmittel verwendet wurde, in das Carbamat-Analogon IX überführt. Daher sollten künftige Reinigungsschritte ohne die Zuhilfenahme von Methanol erfolgen. Durch den Einsatz von Triphosgen anstelle von Phosgen wird eine eindeutigere, direktere Syntheseroute zum weiteren Upscaling erreicht. Im Rahmen des zweiten Teilprojektes wurden dualstere Liganden hergestellt, die variable orthostere und allostere Molekülteile besitzen. Durch mehrstufige Syntheseverfahren konnten vier verschiedene Typen von Hybriden hergestellt werden. Dualstere Liganden wurden dadurch erhalten, dass entweder Phthalimido- oder 1,8- Naphthalimidopropylamino-Gruppen als allostere Bindegruppe durch einen flexiblen und verschieden langen Linker mit N-Demethylpirenzepin oder N-Demethylclozapin verknüpft wurden. Außerdem wurden dualstere Liganden hergestellt, in denen N-Demethylclozapin durch einen variablen Linker entweder an den Superagonisten Iperoxo oder an Acetylcholin geknüpft ist. Der kritischste Schritt der Synthese ist die Verknüpfung der beiden Linkersegmente am Ende des Herstellungsweges. Hierfür wurden mehrere Reaktionsbedingungen untersucht, um die Kopplung optimal zu ermöglichen. Die beste Methode, bei der die wenigsten Nebenprodukte und die größten Ausbeuten erzielt wurden besteht darin, die beiden letzten Zwischenstufen in Abwesenheit einer Base, Katalysatoren oder Mikrowellenstrahlung in Acetonitril zu lösen und bei 35 °C mehrere Tage zu rühren (Reaktionskontrolle: Dünnschichtchromatographie an Kieselgel, Fließmittel: 0,2 M wässrige KNO3/MeOH 2:3). Als bestes Reinigungsverfahren stellten sich entweder die Kristallisation aus dem Reaktionsmedium oder die Verwendung einer Flash-Chromatographie-Apparatur an C18-Kieselgel dar (Eluent: H2O/MeOH). Alle synthetisierten Hybridmoleküle werden noch einer pharmakologischen Charakterisierung unter Anwendung geeigneter FRET-Testsysteme unterzogen.

The past decades have witnessed the development of new pharmaceutical compounds that modulate receptor function by targeting allosteric sites. Allosteric sites are, by definition, domains topographically distinct from the orthosteric binding pocket where the natural ligand binds. Exploring the possibilities of linking orthosteric and allosteric pharmacophores in one compound to yield ‘bitopic’ compounds is a strategy derived from the “message-address” concept by Schwyzer , first applied to GPCRs by Portoghese et al. This concept explicitly underlines the orthosteric/allosteric combination, in opposite to the more general umbrella term bivalent. The broad possibilities of bitopic ligands in the pharmaceutical field are under continuous study. Bitopic compounds are promising pharmaceutical tools for taking advantage of the allosteric binding to achieve subtype selectivity while preserving high affinity at the receptor. The development of bitopic ligands, based on the idea of combining high affinity (via orthosteric sites) with high selectivity (via allosteric sites), have led to the development of highly selective bivalent ligands for GPCRs , such as for the opioid receptors , muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), serotonin receptors, cannabinoid receptors, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors. This concept has even been extended to other receptors, for examples nicotinic receptors and other proteins, such as acetylcholinesterases and the tyrosine kinase receptors TrkA and TrkC. The reasons to pursue a bitopic ligand approach are various. An improved affinity for the target GPCR and/or an improved selectivity either at the level of receptor subtype, or at the level of signaling pathway. Another advantage of bitopic ligands over purely allosteric ligands is that the former rely on the appropriate presence of endogenous agonist tone to mediate their effects, whereas a bitopic ligand would engage the orthosteric site irrespective of the presence or absence of endogenous tone. By way of introduction to the hybrid approach, a review of the concept of hybrids compounds targeting the cholinergic system is presented in section A of this thesis. Recent updates in hybrid molecule design as a strategy for selectively addressing multiple target proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is here reported . This represents the potential and the growing interest in hybrid compound as pharmacological tools to achieve receptor subtype selectivity and/or, to study the overall functional activity of the receptor. Until now, muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) have proved to be a particularly fruitful receptor model for the development and characterization of bitopic ligands. In this thesis, several examples of new muscarinic bitopic approach are reported in the results section. A study of bipharmacophoric ligands composed of the muscarinic positive allosteric modulators (BQCAderived compounds) linked with chain of various lengths to different orthosteric building blocks is reported in the result part 1. Synthesis and examination of the potential pharmacological characteristic of Oxotremorine-BQCAd compounds and Xanomeline-BQCAd hybrid derivatives are described in results parts 2 and 4, respectively. Moreover, the bitopic concept has even been extended to other proteins, such as acetylcholinesterase. In the result part 5 an overview of the new Tacrine-Xanomeline hybrids aiming to improve the inhibitory potency of the acetylcholinesterase and simultaneously to increase the cholinergic tone, via the xanomelinic portion acting on the M1 receptor is given. A new trivalent approach is presented for the first time to deepen the study of the M1 muscarinic receptor in the result part 6. Moreover, the synthesis of a new series of iperoxo-derived alkane, bis(ammonio)alkane-type and rigidified chain ligands is given in the result part 7 together with some prospects for further research. / Mit zunehmendem Alter der Bevölkerung werden altersbedingte Krankheiten, insbesondere neurodegenerative Erkrankungen wie die Alzheimer-Krankheit (AD), häufiger und stellen darüber hinaus ein soziales und wirtschaftliches Problem für die Gesellschaft dar1,2. AD ist eine schwere altersabhängige neurodegenerative Erkrankung des Gehirns, die mit Gedächtnisverlust und einer Abnahme der kognitiven Funktionen verbunden ist und immer weiter fortschreitet. Die Krankheit ist derzeit unheilbar und aufgrund des demographischen Wandels wird ein starker Anstieg an Betroffenen erwartet. Daher beschäftigt sich eine Vielzahl wissenschaftlicher Studien mit der Prävention und der Behandlung von AD. Derzeit besteht das Hauptziel darin, die Ursachen und Mechanismen dieser Krankheit durch innovative Grundlagenforschung zu verstehen. AD ist ein komplexes Zusammenspiel verschiedener pathologischer Merkmale2,4. Diese besonderen Merkmale der Krankheit, die gleichzeitig auftreten, müssen untersucht und gleichzeitig untersucht werden, um wirksame und selektive Medikamente zu entwickeln. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich daher mit zwei Zielstrukturen der cholinergen Hypothese zur Entstehung von AD: dem muskarinischen M1-Rezeptor5,6 und der AChE7 unter Verwendung des Hybridisierungsansatzes. Zunächst wurden vermeintlich selektive M1 Agonisten entwickelt und synthetisiert. Diese sollten die cholinerge Transmission verstärken um die cholinerge Funktion in Alzheimer Patienten zu verbessern. Hierbei wurde die Hybridisierung durch die kovalente Verbindung einer allosterischen und einer orthosterischen Einheit in einem Molekül durchgeführt. ...

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Tubulin and elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) both form large protein structures which can be thermodynamically evaluated using isothermal titration calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. ELPs are thermos-responsive biopolymers that undergo phase separation and form coacervates when heated. This project assesses the liquid-liquid phase separation of an ELP sequence derived from tropoelastin with a SynB1 cell-penetrating peptide attached to the N-terminus in conjunction with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin. Microtubules (MTs) are a dynamic cellular structure formed of tubulin alpha/beta-heterodimers and are responsible for several important cellular processes, making them a viable target for anti-cancer drugs. There has been extensive research done to identify new ligands that show selective binding to microtubules. Ruthenium (II) polypyridyl complexes (RPCs) have been found to promote the polymerization of tubulin into microtubules. ITC has been used to determine the binding affinity of [Ru(II)(Ph2phen)3]2+ (RPC2).

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