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Thesis (Ph. D. (Chemistry))--Rhodes University, 2003.

Thesis (PhD)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2009. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brent M. Peyton. Includes bibliographical references.

A lesão hepática por isquemia e reperfusão (I/R) ocorre em situações clínicas diversas, como nas grandes hepatectomias e no transplante hepático. A fisiopatologia desta lesão é composta, principalmente, por intensa resposta inflamatória aguda e estresse oxidativo hepático. Em consequência a essa lesão a proliferação pós hepatectomia pode ser prejudicada. Por outro lado, Pirroloquinolina Quinona (PQQ) é um cofator que vem sendo estudado em virtude de suas ações antioxidantes e de estimulação de crescimento. Materiais e métodos: Camundongos balb-c foram submetidos à lesão hepática por I/R normotérmica seguida de hepatectomia e tratados com PQQ (10mg/kg de peso corporal) ou solução salina. Foram avaliados o grau de lesão hepatocelular (nível sérico de aminotransferases e escore histológico de agressão tecidual), a intensidade do estresse oxidativo (dosagem de MDA, GSH, NRF2 e eNOS hepáticos), a intensidade da resposta inflamatória aguda (quantificação de NFkB, Il-1? e TNF-? no fígado) e a proliferação hepatocelular (quantificação hepática de PCNA e ciclina D1). Resultados: PQQ reduziu significativamente os parâmetros de lesão hepática. Adicionalmente, os animais tratados com PQQ exibiram reduzido estresse oxidativo hepático devido à preservação da reserva antioxidante de GSH, à estimulação de expressão de NRF2 e à diminuição dos níveis hepáticos de MDA. Todavia, os níveis de eNOS não sofreram alteração com o tratamento. A atividade inflamatória aguda também foi reduzida com regulação da expressão hepática de NFkB e IL-1?. Entretanto, TNF-?, PCNA e Ciclina D1 não apresentaram diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos. Conclusão: Os resultados obtidos indicam que PQQ é capaz de proteger o fígado contra a lesão por IR normotérmica seguida de hepatectomia e que essa proteção foi relacionada à sua ação antioxidante e anti- inflamatória. Todavia, a capacidade proliferativa hepática não foi alterada pelo tratamento no tempo avaliado. / Liver injury following ischemia and reperfusion (IR) occurs in several clinical situations such as major hepatectomies and liver transplantation. The physiopathology of this damage is composed for hepatic acute inflammatory response and oxidative stress. As a result of this injury the proliferation can be impaired. In other hand, Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ) is a cofactor that has been studied because has antioxidant activity and stimulates growth. Materials and Methods: Balb-c mice were underwent to hepatic injury by normothermic I/R followed by partial hepatectomy, and treated with PQQ (10mg/kg body weight) or saline solution. We evaluate the degree of hepatocellular damage (Serum level of aminotransferases and histological score of tissue damage), the intensity of liver oxidative stress (measurement of MDA,GSH, NRF2 and eNOS hepatic levels), the intensity of inflammatory response (measurement of NFkB, IL-1? e TNF-? hepatic levels). Results: PQQ significantly reduced the parameters of hepatocellular damage. PQQ-treated animals showed decreased hepatic oxidative stress by preserving antioxidant reserve of GSH, expression stimulation of NRF2 and reduced hepatic level of MDA. However, eNOS levels dind\'t change with the treatment. Inflammatory activity was also reduced by the down- regulation of NF?B and IL1- ?. Nevertheless, TNF-? and PCNA and D1 Cyclin did not show significant differences between the animal groups . Conclusion: These data indicate that PQQ was able to protect the liver against normothermic IR injury followed by hepatectomy and that protection was related with its antioxidant and antiinflammatory capability. Although, the hepatic proliferative capacity was not altered by the treatment in the evaluate time.

An in depth chemical investigation of the major and minor pyrroloiminoquinone metabolites produced by four species of endemic South African Latrunculid sponges, collected from Algoa Bay and the Tsitsikamma Marine Reserve off the south eastern coast of South Africa, yielded eleven new and twelve known pyrroloiminoquinone metabolites. The structures of the new metabolites were determined using standard spectroscopic techniques. Tsitsikamma pedunculata was shown to contain 7,8-dehydro-3-dihydro-discorhabdin C (2.1), 14-bromo-7,8-dehydro-3-dihydro-discorhabdin C (2.2), discorhabdin S (2.3), 14-bromo-1-hydroxy-discorhabdin S (2.4), 1-bromo-2-hydroxy-4-debromo-discorhabdin S (2.5), and 2,4-debromo-3-dihydro-discorhabdin C (2.6), together with the known compounds 14-bromo-discorhabdin C (1.51), 14-bromo-3-dihydro-discorhabdin C (1.52) and 3-dihydro-discorhabdin C. The metabolites from T. pedunculata were characterised by the presence of a reduced C-3 carbonyl and bromination at C-14. Compounds isolated from a second Latrunculid sponge, Latrunculia lorii, ranged from a substituted bicyclic pyrrolecarboxylic acid, makaluvic acid A (1.47), to the simple tricyclic known pyrroloiminoquinones makaluvamine C (1.33) and damirone B (1.20) and the more complex discorhabdin D type metabolites, discorhabdin M (3.2), 1-amino discorhabdin D (3.3), 1-methoxy discorhabdin D (3.4) and 1-alanyl discorhabdin D (3.5). Discorhabdin G* (3.1) was also isolated and characterised. This is the first reported occurrence of the known compounds 1.20, 1.33 and 1.47 in a Latrunculia sponge. Discorhabdin and bis-pyrroloiminoquinone type compounds predominated in Tsitsikamma favus. Three known, tsitsikammamines A (1.71) and B (1.72), 1.52, and five new pyrroloiminoquinones, tsitsikammamine N-oxime (4.1), tsitsikammamine B N-oxime (4.2), 2.1, 2.4 and 2.6, were isolated from this sponge. A fourth Latrunculid sponge (Strongylodesma sp.) yielded three known compounds, discorhabdins A (1.57), D (1.61) and 1.53, and one new pyrroloiminoquinone 3.3. The dual role of these metabolites as cytotoxic agents and pigments resulted in an attempt to relate the photochemical properties of these metabolites to their cytotoxicity. The pyrroloiminoquinone metabolites studied exhibited moderate singlet oxygen quantum yields, while three compounds (1.57, 4.1 and 4.2) were shown to be capable of producing radicals at a wavelength of 532 nm. The possibility of a correlation between the electrochemical properties and anti-cancer (HCT-116) activity of selected pyrroloiminoquinones was explored. A study of the oesophageal and ovarian cytotoxicities of two pyrroloiminoquinones (1.57 and 1.72), together with an investigation into the intercalation and topoisomerase I inhibitory activity of the bis-pyrroloiminoquinones (1.71, 1.72, 4.1 and 4.2), are presented.

Several bacteria isolated from the broccoli rhizosphere were assayed to compare their ability to solubilize phosphate and release pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) into the surrounding media. Subsequently, their genomes were sequenced and analyzed for PQQ biosynthesis operon structure. PQQ biosynthesis genes pqqA-F were found in all isolates. The order of PQQ biosynthesis genes and predicted amino acid sequences were compared to each other and the host’s ability to solubilize phosphate and release PQQ. In all Pseudomonas species, two putative protease genes, pqqF, and pqqG, flanked the canonical pqqA-pqqE biosynthesis operon. No mechanistic studies have confirmed the function of pqqF and pqqG. Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a versatile model organism, representing environmental, agronomical, and industrial interests. Like the broccoli isolates, P. putida KT2440 biosynthesizes and releases PQQ into its surroundings. To better understand their functions within PQQ synthesis in P. putida KT2440, ∆pqqF, ∆pqqG, and ∆pqqF/∆pqqG strains of P. putida KT2440 were generated and the resulting phenotypes were studied.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in Africa. Hsp90 has been identified as a target for anti-cancer treatments as its inhibition results in the disruption and ubiquitin–proteasome degradation of activated oncoproteins. Currently, there are no US Food and Drug Administration approved Hsp90 inhibitor drugs and existing Hsp90 inhibitors such as geldanamycin and novobiocin are hepatotoxic and display a low affinity for Hsp90, respectively. Therefore, there is a need for the development of Hsp90 inhibitors with improved inhibitory properties. In this study twelve natural compounds bearing a quinone nucleus were screened and characterised for the modulation of Hsp90. The compounds analysed formed three series; the sargaquinoic acid (SQA), naphthoquinone, and pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloid series. Certain compounds exhibited half maximal inhibitory concentrations of between 3.32 μM and 12.4 μM, while others showed no antiproliferative activity at concentrations of up to 500 μM in the MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma cell line. Immunofluorescence and Western analyses indicated that the modulation of Hsp90 and partner proteins by SQA was more similar to that of novobiocin. Isothermal titration calorimetry analyses suggested that SQA interacted with Hsp90β with a low affinity, and saturation-transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed that this interaction with Hsp90β occurred through the methyl moiety bound to 1, 4 benzoquinone of SQA. Pulldown assays indicated SQA disrupted the association between Hsp90 and Hop dose-dependently, more similarly to novobiocin. Immunofluorescence and Western analyses performed on naphthoquinone and pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloid compounds indicated modulation of Hsp90 and Hsp90 partner proteins by the compounds. Naphthoquinone compounds were prioritised for analysis for binding to Hsp90β over the pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloid compounds. Lapachol interacted with Hsp90β with a low affinity however; this interaction was thought to be too weak to disrupt the association of Hsp90 and Hop. The remaining naphthoquinone compounds showed no interaction with Hsp90β, thus allowing the determination of a preliminary structure-activity relationship for these compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe a systematic subcellular analysis of the effects of geldanamycin and novobiocin in comparison to sargaquinoic acid and compounds of the naphthoquinone and pyrroloquinoline scaffold on Hsp90 and its partner proteins. / Microsoft� Word 2010 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

Algoa Bay Latrunculid sponges are well known for their production of cytotoxic pyrroloiminoquinones with speculation that these secondary metabolites may have a microbial origin. This study describes a thorough investigation into the bacterial community associated with Tsitsikamma favus, Tsitsikamma scurra a newly described Latrunculia sp. and a yellow encrusting sponge associated with T. scurra. Molecular and chemical characterisation were used in conjunction with traditional taxonomy in identification of the sponge specimens. The 28S rRNA and COX1 analysis confirmed the traditional taxonomy with T. favus and T. scurra being very closely related. Chemical analysis revealed that T. favus and T. scurra shared the discorhabdins 2,4-debromo-3-dihydrodiscorhabdin C, 7,8-dehydro-3-dihydrodiscorhabdin C and 14-bromo-1-hydroxy-discorhabdin V in common with each other and Tsitsikamma pedunculata indicating that these pyrroloiminoquinones are common to Tsitsikamma sponges in general. The bacterial community associated with T. favus was explored using 16S rRNA molecular techniques including DGGE, clonal libraries of full length 16S rRNA genes, as well as 454 pyrosequencing. DGGE analysis revealed that the bacterial community associated with T. favus appeared to be highly conserved, which was confirmed by both the clone library and 454 pyrosequencing, with the Betaproteobacteria as the most dominant class. Further exploration into T. favus, as well as T. scurra, Latrunculia sp. and the yellow encrusting sponge indicated that the bacterial populations associated with each of these sponge species were conserved and species specific. OTU analysis to the species level revealed that T. favus and T. scurra shared an abundant Spirochaete species in common while the most abundant species in the Latrunculia sp. and the yellow encrusting sponge belonged to the class Betaproteobacteria. The exclusivity of the tsitsikammamines to T. favus precipitated attempts to culture the T. favus associated bacteria, with a focus on the dominant betaproteobacterium as indicated by the 16S rRNA clone library. Actinobacteria associated with the Algoa Bay sponge specimens were also cultured and the actinobacterial isolates were sent for screening against Mycobacterium aurum with two Kocuria kristinae isolates and a Streptomyces albdioflavus isolate showing good antimycobacterial activity.