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<p>This thesis presents research examining the impact circadian rhythm disturbances experienced in bipolar disorder (BD) have at two levels of investigation. First, circadian rhythm disturbance is studied with regard to quality of life in individuals with BD. The results of an analysis investigating the impact of self-reported circadian rhythm disturbance on quality of life (QOL) show circadian rhythm is strongly associated with poor QOL in patients with BD, independent of severity of depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance and use of sleep medications. Next, the impact of circadian rhythm disturbance on oxidative stress was studied. Oxidative stress has previously been implicated in BD, yet no studies have investigated the relationship between these systems in the context of the disorder. We demonstrate that circadian rhythm disturbance is related to increased lipid peroxidation in BD patients, which is not seen in controls. This study provides a basis for further investigation of the links between oxidative stress and circadian rhythms in the pathophysiology of BD. Taken together, these results provide evidence that circadian rhythms have a widespread impact on two separate aspects of BD: personal sense of well being and a biological marker of oxidative stress. These novel findings contribute to the mounting evidence indicating circadian rhythm disturbance as one of the core features of BD, and an important target for treatment.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

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Ferroptosis, an oxidative cell death mechanism, is driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Despite being generally associated with lipid peroxidation that overwhelms endogenous repair systems, ferroptosis mechanisms and regulators in various pathological contexts remain elusive. Identifying novel modulators of the ferroptosis pathway is essential for cell-death marker development and drug discovery to target this process. Small molecule drugs and dietary intervention of metabolites and lipids can modulate ferroptosis sensitivity in diverse disease contexts. In this thesis, I investigated lipid metabolism involving ferroptosis in cancer models and an infectious lung disease model. I dissected the different roles of PUFA-containing phospholipids in dietary modulation of ferroptosis and discovered a specific phospholipid class, phosphatidylcholine with diacyl-polyunsaturated fatty acid tails (PC-PUFA2; diacyl-PUFA-PC) that promote ferroptosis. Exogenous PC-PUFA2 or free PUFA enriches PC-PUFA2 abundance in cancer cells and accounts for the ferroptosis-sensitizing effects. I also discovered the accumulation of PC-PUFA2 in the mitochondria, which disrupts mitochondrial redox homeostasis and initiates lipid peroxidation in the endoplasmic reticulum. These findings unveil the essential roles of diacyl-PUFA phospholipids during ferroptosis. Utilizing biomarkers of ferroptosis, I studied the pathogenic mechanism of COVID-19-associated pulmonary diseases. Elevated ferroptosis markers including transferrin receptor 1 and lipid peroxidation products were detected in human COVID-19 lung autopsies. Dysregulation in lipid profile, including a significant decrease in PUFA phospholipids and accumulation of lysophospholipids, further suggests dysregulation of lipid metabolism and ferroptosis that may contribute to inflammation and acute lung injury in COVID-19 lungs. Iron metabolism is affected in the COVID-19 lung and is associated with ferroptosis activation. We further discovered a strong correlation of ferroptosis markers with lung injury severity in a COVID-19 model using Syrian hamsters. These findings provide the fundament for targeting ferroptosis as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic strategy for various diseases.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / There is an influx in heavy metals into soils and ground water due to activities such as increased mineral mining, improper watering and the use of heavy metal contaminated fertilizers. These heavy metals are able to increase the ROS species within plants which may result in plant metabolism deterioration and tissue damage. Heavy metals may also directly damage plants by rendering important enzymes non-functional through binding in metal binding sites of enzymes. The heavy metal focused on in this study was vanadium due to South Africa being one of the primary produces of this metal. Two related Brassica napus L cultivars namely Agamax and Garnet which are economically and environmentally important to South Africa were exposed to vanadium. Physiological experiments such as cell death, chlorophyll and biomass determination were conducted to understand how these cultivars were affected by vanadium toxicity. A low cost, sensitive and robust vanadium assay was developed to estimate the amount of vanadium in samples such as water, soils and plant material. The oxidative state as well as the antioxidant profile of the two cultivars were also observed under vanadium stress. A chlorophyll assay which was conducted on the two cultivars exposed to vanadium showed a marked decrease in chlorophyll A in the suspected sensitive cultivar which was Garnet. However, the suspected tolerant cultivar Agamax fared better and the decrease in chlorophyll A was much less. A similar trend was observed for the two cultivars when the cell death assay was conducted. The vanadium assay showed that Garnet had higher concentrations of vanadium within its leaves and lower concentrations in its roots when compared to Agamax. This observation displayed that Agamax had inherent mechanisms which it used to localize vanadium in its roots and which assisted in its tolerance to the vanadium stress. The oxidative state was determined by doing assays for the specific reactive oxygen species namely hydrogen peroxide and superoxide. It was observed that vanadium treated Garnet leaves had higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) production when compared to the Agamax treated leaves. In-gel native PAGE activity gels were conducted to determine the antioxidant profile for the two cultivars which were exposed to vanadium. The antioxidant enzymes which were under investigation were ascorbate peroxide (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-dependent peroxidases (GPX-like) as these enzymes are known to be responsible for controlling the ROS produced in the plants. The GPX-like profile consisted of three isoforms. No isoforms were inhibited by vanadium treatments but one isoform had increased activity in both the Garnet and Agamax treated samples. The SOD profile for Garnet consisted of six isoforms and Agamax had seven isoforms. One isoform which was visualized in both Agamax as well as Garnet was inhibited by vanadium treatments. Agamax also had two isoforms which were up-regulated however the corresponding isoforms in Garnet showed no change. The Ascorbate peroxidase profile consisted of seven isoforms for both Garnet and Agamax. No isoforms were inhibited by vanadium treatment. Three isoforms were up-regulated in Garnet and Agamax under vanadium treatments. Here, it is illustrated that Garnet lacked certain mechanisms found in Agamax (and thus experienced more cell death, yield and chlorophyll loss) and performed worst under high vanadium concentrations. Although Garnet increased the activity of some of its antioxidant isoforms in response to increasing ROS levels it was not adequate to maintain a normal oxidative homeostasis. This disruption in oxidative homeostasis lead to plant damage. Agamax was observed to produce less ROS than Garnet and was able to control the ROS produced more effectively than Garnet and thus less damage was observed in Agamax.

Dans les conditions naturelles, les plantes sont soumises à des conditions environnementales très variées qui peuvent conduire à un excès d'énergie dans les chloroplastes, résultant en une production d'espèces réactives de l'oxygène (ERA). Pour faire face à ces ERA, les plantes ont développé différents mécanismes de protection, comme des alkénal réductases, des peroxyrédoxines et des lipocalines. Le travail présenté dans cette thèse a pour but de caractériser et de déterminer leur importance dans la protection des contre les stress oxydants. Une analyse préliminaire de mutants d'Arabidopsis a mis en évidence le rôle important des peroxyrédoxines à 2 cystéines et des lipocalines dans la tolérance au stress photooxydant. Cette thèse s'est surtout concentrée sur les lipocalines. Deux lipocalines ont été récemment identifiées chez les plantes, TIL (lipocaline thermoinduite) et CHL (chloroplastique), toutes les deux induites par des conditions de stress. Chez Arabidopsis, chaque lipocaline semble être spécialisée dans la réponse à des conditions différentes: chaleur (AtTIL) et fortes lumières (AtCHL). Le double mutant AtCHL KO × AtTIL KO est plus sensible à la chaleur et la forte lumière que les simples mutants. La mutation de AtCHL a augmenté fortement la photosensibilité de mutants (vte1, npq1) affectés dans des mécanismes de protection des lipides (tocopherols, zéaxanthine), confirmant ainsi le rôle des lipocalines dans la protection contre la peroxydation lipidique. Les résultats obtenus dans cette thèse montrent que les lipocalines AtTIL and AtCHL ont des fonctions redondantes dans la protection des lipides qui sont essentielles à la résistance des plantes au stress. / Under field conditions, plants are exposed to various environmental conditions that can lead to an excess of energy in the chloroplasts, resulting in the production of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). To cope with the harmful effects of ROS, plants have developed various protection mechanisms, such as alkenal-reductases, peroxiredoxins and lipocalins. The work performed in this thesis aimed at understanding their importance in the protection against lipid peroxidation. A first screening of Arabidopsis mutants lacking one of those mechanisms brought into light that 2-Cys PRX and lipocalins are important for the tolerance against photooxidative stress. This thesis is focused mainly on lipocalins, a group of proteins recognized as carriers of small lipophilic molecules. However, two true lipocalins have been recently identified in plants, the temperature-induced lipocalin (TIL) and the chloroplastic lipocalin (CHL), their expression beeing induced by various abiotic stresses. Each lipocalin appeared to be specialized in the responses to specific stress conditions in Arabidopsis, with AtTIL and AtCHL playing a protective role against heat and high light, respectively. The double mutant AtCHL KO × AtTIL KO deficient in both lipocalins was more sensitive to temperature, drought and light stresses than the single mutants. Seeds of the AtCHL KO × AtTIL KO double mutant were very sensitive to natural and artificial aging, and again this phenomenon was associated with the oxidation of polyunsaturated lipids. The results obtained in this thesis show that AtTIL and AtCHL have overlapping functions in lipid protection which are essential for stress resistance and survival.

Les études épidémiologiques ont montré qu'une consommation régulière en tomate et ses produits dérivés de tomate permet de lutter contre diverses pathologies dégénératives associées notamment au stress oxydant (maladies cardiovasculaires, cancers etc..). Les effets bénéfiques pourraient être dus au lycopène pigment rouge de la tomate et/ou à ses métabolites qui interviendraient dans ce processus soit de part leurs capacités antioxydantes, soit au travers de la régulation de l’expression de gènes. Dans ce contexte, quatre familles de molécules dérivées du lycopène, pouvant être des métabolites potentiels, ont été ciblées pour la synthèse organique : les apo-11-lycopénoïdes, les apo- 14’-lycopénoïdes, les apo-12’-lycopénoïdes et les apo-10’-lycopénoïdes. Chacune des familles a été synthétisée, via des réactions de couplages tels que Wittig et Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons, avec quatre fonctions chimiques terminales : ester, acide carboxylique, alcool et aldéhyde. Par la suite deux types de propriétés physico-chimiques des composés synthétisés ont été étudiés : mesure du pouvoir antioxydant dans des conditions expérimentales mimant un stress oxydant dans le compartiment gastro-intestinal (inhibition de la peroxydation lipidique initiée par la metmyoglobine en milieu micellaire) et une étude d’interaction avec l'albumine de sérum humain, protéine impliquée dans le transport des acides gras dans le plasma. / Epidemiological studies have shown that regular consumption of tomatoes and its derived products participate to the prevention of degenerative pathologies associated with oxidative stress (cardiovascular disease, cancers). The beneficial effects could come from lycopene and/or its metabolites. In this context four families of lycopene derived compounds, mimicking possible metabolites, were targeted to be synthesized: the apo-11- lycopenoids, the apo-14’- lycopenoids, the apo-12’- lycopenoids and the apo-10’-lycopenoids. For each family, Wittig and Horner- Wadsworth-Emmons coupling reaction were used and four different ending functions were obtained: ester, carboxylic acid, alcohol and aldehyde. Then two physico-chemical properties were studied: antioxidant effect mimicking oxidative stress in the gastro-intestinal tract (inhibition of lipidic peroxidation initiated by metmyoglobin protein in micellar medium) and study of the interaction with human serum albumin, a protein involved in the transport of fatty acid in the plasma.

INTRODUÇÃO: A erva-mate (Ilex paraguarienis), uma planta nativa e consumida em grande parte da América do Sul, apresenta diversos compostos bioativos que já demonstraram importante atividade antioxidante in vitro e in vivo. O chá mate é um produto desta planta cujas propriedades antioxidantes ainda não foram avaliadas em ensaios com humanos. OBJETIVO: Este projeto visa avaliar o potencial antioxidante do chá mate in vivo e ex vivo sobre o plasma e LDL de humanos após a ingestão de chá-mate. MÉTODOS: Indivíduos em jejum (n=20) tiveram seu sangue coletado em três momentos: antes, após uma hora e depois de 1 semana (7 dias) da ingestão diária de chá-mate. O plasma e a LDL obtidos nos três momentos foram submetidos à oxidação por três mecanismos diferentes [Cobre (Cu+2), lipoxigenase e peroxinitrito (SIN-1)] e em seguida foram medidos os produtos de peroxidação lipídica formados: a concentração de TBARs (substâncias reativas ao ácido tiobarbitúrico) e a formação de dienos conjugados empregando-se métodos espectrofotométricos. Também foram determinados o perfil antioxidante total do plasma (TAS), avaliação da lipoperoxidação plasmática basal (TBARs), avaliação da fragmentação da Apolipoproteína B após oxidação da LDL, por eletroforese em gel com SDS-PAGE e os níveis de expressão, por meio de análise de PCR real time, de alguns genes relacionados à produção de enzimas antioxidantes. Teste t de Student pareado foi utilizado para verificar se houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os resultados das diversas análises antes e após o consumo do chá. RESULTADOS: Os resultados obtidos pela maioria dos ensaios realizados demonstraram que o consumo de chá mate aumentou a resistência à oxidação, a capacidade antioxidante plasmática e a expressão de genes relacionados à produção de enzimas antioxidantes. CONCLUSÃO: Esses resultados sugerem que o consumo de chá mate por período curto pode atuar como antioxidante por múltiplos mecanismos e portanto pode contribuir para diminuição do risco de desenvolvimento de doenças crônicas relacionadas a processos oxidativo. / Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a native and widely consumed South American plant. It contains high concentrations of bioactive compounds that respond for its high antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo. This activity has not been demonstrated yet in humans for the mate tea, a product derived from Yerba Mate. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of maté tea in vivo and ex vivo on plasma and LDL human after ingestion of mate tea infusion. METHODS: Fasting peripheral venous blood samples of twenty healthy women (n=20) were taken in three different times: before drinking the tea, one hour later and after one week of daily consumption (7 days) of mate tea. The plasma and isolated LDL were oxidated with 3 different systems [copper (CuSO4), lipoxygenase and peroxynitrite (SIN-1)]. Next, the peroxidation products evaluated were: concentration of malonaldeyde (TBA) and conjugated dienes (lag time), using spectrophotometric methods. We also measured the plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as thiobarbituric substances (TBARS), fragmentation of apo B using SDS-PAGE and the level of antioxidant enzyme gene expression by PCR real time. Paired t student test was used to analyze the results before and after ingestion of mate tea. RESULTS: The results obtained by most of the tests showed that mate tea ingestion increased the plasma and LDL resistance by ex vivo oxidation, the plasma antioxidant capacity and the level of antioxidant enzyme gene expression. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that regular consumption of mate tea can act as an antioxidant by multiple mechanisms and thus may contribute decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases related to oxidative processes.