Des poly(styrène)s (PS) et poly(oxyde d'éthylène)s (PEO) d'architectures ramifiées et des particules semi-conductrices de poly(3,4-ethylènedioxythiophène)s (PEDOT) ont été synthétisés et utilisés comme supports pour le greffage de ferrocènes (Fc) en leur périphérie. Le greffage s’est effectué par cycloaddition de Huisgen dans le cas des PS et par estérification dans le cas des POE et des PEDOT. La mise en évidence d’une possible interaction entre la terminaison azoture des PS et le système catalytique employé pour la polymérisation radicalaire contrôlée a été faite dans ce travail. Les systèmes obtenus ont été caractérisés et testés par voltampérométrie cyclique pour évaluer leurs propriétés dans le stockage d’électrons pour une application de batterie moléculaire. Les groupements ferrocène peuvent être oxydés et réduits de façon réversible sur les PEO-Fc et les PS-Fc. Pour un taux élevé de Fc, un phénomène de transfert de charge entre le cœur PEDOT et les Fc périphériques a été mis en évidence par voltampéromérie cyclique. / Energy storage system have been developed by grafting ferrocene (Fc) moieties on branched or hyperbranched polystyrene (PS) and polyethyleneoxide (PEO), and on semi-conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) particles. Huisgen cycloaddition has been used to graft Fc at the periphery of PS stars, leading to PS-Fc. Synthesis of PEO-Fc and PEDOT-Fc has been done by esterification reaction. A possible interaction in between azido moieties and the catalytic system used for controlled radical polymerization of styrene has been evidenced in this study. Performances as molecular batteries of PS-Fc, PEO-Fc and PEDOT-Fc have been assessed by cyclic voltammetry. Fc moieties can be reversibly oxidized and reduced on PS-Fc and POE-Fc. For high ferrocene content, cyclic voltammetry showed the occurence of charge transfer between ferrocenyl groups and oxidized PEDOT core.

Consumer awareness of the link between dietary fats and health outcomes has led to increased demand for food products enriched with bioactive fatty acids (FA). Ruminant-derived fats, such as dairy fats, contribute significantly to the American diet and contain many unique beneficial FA, such as short- and medium-chain FA, n-3 FA, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), vaccenic acid (VA), as well as odd-and branched-chain FA (OBCFA). Increasing these FA in dairy products by altering farm management practices, such as breed, lactation stage, and nutrition, may improve human health without a change to the diet. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to evaluate on-farm strategies to increase the content of bioactive FA in bovine milk. The first objective was to enrich milk fat with bioactive FA via supplementation with echium oil, a terrestrial oil rich in n-3 FA. Treatments were 1.5% and 3.0% dry matter as lipid encapsulated echium oil (EEO) which were compared to a control (no EEO). Milk fat contents of n-3 FA increased with EEO supplementation but the transfer of n-3 FA from EEO into milk fat was rather low (< 5%). In a subsequent trial, ruminal protection of EEO and post-ruminal release of EEO-derived FA was examined. EEO-derived FA were preferentially incorporated into plasma lipid fractions unavailable to the mammary gland. Moreover, fecal excretion of EEO-derived FA ranged from 7-14% of intake, and VA and CLA, the biohydrogenation and metabolism products of n-3 FA, increased in milk and feces with EEO supplementation. Therefore, lipid-encapsulation provided inadequate digestibility and low transfer efficiency of n-3 FA into milk. The second objective was to compare the bacterial community structure and unique bioactive FA in bacterial membranes and milk fat between Holstein (HO), Jersey (JE), and HO x JE crossbreeds (CB) across a lactation. Lactation stage had a prominent effect on rumen bacterial taxa, with Firmicutes being most abundant during early lactation. The FA composition of bacterial cells was affected by both lactation stage and genetics, and OBCFA in bacterial cells were positively correlated with several bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum. HO and CB exhibited greater contents of various bioactive FA in milk than JE. The highest content of all bioactive FA occurred at early lactation, while OBCFA were highest at late lactation. The third objective was to determine the effects of grazing a monoculture vs. a diverse pasture on rumen bacterial and protozoal taxa, their membrane FA composition, and milk FA. Microbial communities shifted in response to grazing regime accompanied with changes in their membrane FA profiles. Rumen microbiota from cows grazing a diverse pasture had higher contents of n-3 FA and VA, but lower contents of OBCFA. Microbial membrane FA correlated with microbial taxa, the contents of ALA and n-3 FA were positively correlated with the bacterial genus Butyrivibrio and the protozoal genus Eudioplodinium. Milk contents of CLA and n-3 FA increased when cows grazed a diverse pasture, while grazing a monoculture led to greater milk contents of OBCFA. In conclusion, grazing cows on a diverse pasture, when compared to genetic effects and lipid supplementation, was the most efficacious strategy to increase the content of bioactive FA in milk.

Le poly(butylène succinate) (PBS) est un polyester aliphatique biodégradable dont les propriétés en font un bon candidat pour le remplacement des polyoléfines. De plus, ses deux monomères, l'acide succinique et le butane-1,4-diol, peuvent être issus de la biomasse via un procédé de fermentation de sucres. L'étude réalisée ici a été séparée en deux grandes parties : le PBS linéaire d'une part et le PBS branché d'autre part. La première partie montre que la cinétique de synthèse du PBS suit bien le modèle d'estérification établi par Flory. Par la suite, l'étude des propriétés physico-chimiques du PBS a permis de remonter à des paramètres comme la masse molaire critique d'enchevêtrement, le module du plateau caoutchoutique, l'énergie d'activation du PBS fondu ou encore les paramètres de l'équation Mark-Houwink-Sakurada. Une étude sur ses propriétés thermiques a permis de décrire l'évolution de son comportement en fonction de sa masse molaire. Enfin, le profil d'énergie potentielle de l'estérification entre l'acide succinique et le butane-1,4-diol a été tracé en utilisant un outil de chimie quantique. La seconde partie traite de l'étude de PBS branchés obtenus en employant des agents de branchement (polyols) pouvant être issus de la biomasse comme l'huile de ricin, le glycérol et le polyglycérol. La stratégie adoptée a été le couplage entre un oligomère PBS fonctionnalisé acide carboxylique et les agents de branchement. L'étude en présence d'huile de ricin a mis en avant les relations entre la structure, déterminée en SEC-Triple Détection, et les propriétés physico-chimiques du PBS branché. L'optimisation de la synthèse en présence de glycérol ou de polyglycérol a été abordée à partir de la méthode des plans d'expériences. Comparé à la méthode « un facteur à la fois », des résultats prometteurs et semblables à ce qui est rapporté dans la littérature ont été obtenus pour l'étude du PBS branché en présence de glycérol. / Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester whose properties make it a promising polymer for the replacement of polyolefins. Moreover, its two monomers, succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol, can be produced via a fermentation process of sugars. This study has been separated into two great parts: linear PBS on the one hand and branched PBS on the other hand. In the first part, kinetics of the PBS synthesis showed a good agreement with the esterification model of Flory. We determined some fundamental parameters of PBS like critical molecular weight of entanglement, the rubbery plateau modulus, the energy of activation of melt PBS and parameters of the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada relationship. We have also realized a study on the influence of the molecular weight on the thermal properties of PBS. Finally, we constructed the potential energy profile of the esterification between succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol through a quantum chemistry study. The second part dealt with the study of branched PBS in the presence of biosourced polyols like castor oil, glycerol and polyglycerol. These syntheses were realized between an acid-functionalized PBS oligomer and the branching agents. We put forward the relationships between the structure, determined by SEC-Triple Detection, and the physicochemical properties of branched PBS in presence of castor oil. Syntheses of branched PBS in presence of glycerol or polyglycerol were optimized with design of experiments technique. Promising and similar results from the literature were obtained in the case of branched PBS in presence of glycerol compared to the method of “one parameter at a time”.

Invasive fungal infections are prevalent and often deadly in immunocompromised patients. There continues to be a pressing need for the development of novel antifungal compounds since there are currently only 13 compounds licensed for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and antibiotic-resistant strains have been emerging. CAY-1 is an antifungal steroidal saponin which was isolated from the fruit of the cayenne pepper plant in 0.1% yield. In Vitro studies of CAY-1 have shown it to be an effective antifungal agent against sixteen pathogenic fungal strains and it showed no cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells up to 100 ìg/mL. The development of a practical synthesis of CAY-1 will potentially allow for further exploration of its medicinal utility and provide the opportunity to synthesize derivatives of CAY-1 which could be investigated in structure-activity relationship studies. To this end, methods for the preparation of they CAY-1 aglycone and pentasaccharide moieties have been investigated. Through this work, several partially protected stereoisomers of the CAY-1 aglycone have been prepared which can be used for the synthesis of saponin derivatives of CAY-1 for structure-activity relationship studies. Definitive characterization of one of these isomers, 3á-hydroxy-(22S, 25R)-5á-spirostan-2â-yl acetate, was achieved by X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, a quantitative inversion of the C-3 stereochemical configuration of this compound was achieved via an acetate group migration of the corresponding mesylate. The possibility of competition between the acetate migration and substitution mechanisms with various nucleophiles was explored. The results, however, indicate that this inversion only occurs via the acetate migration. Additionally, the CAY-1 pentasaccharide synthesis poses two significant challenges. First, these results demonstrate that the central 2, 3-branched portion can be synthesized efficiently from a partially protected glucopyranosyl acceptor since the C-2 and C-3 alcohols differ in their reactivity in glycosylation reactions. The second challenge is the ƒÀ-(1¨4) linkage to the galactosyl acceptor which significantly increases the complexity of the synthesis as compared to literature reported syntheses of other branched oligosaccharides. Nonetheless, this ƒÀ-(1¨4) linkage was achieved using a disarmed trichloroacetimidate glucosyl donor.

Através de técnicas eletroquímicas (espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, resistência à polarização linear e curvas de polarização potenciodinâmica), gravimétrica e analítica, compostos orgânicos foram estudados para avaliar suas possibilidades de emprego como inibidores de corrosão. Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado puro, modificado com dicloro-fosfato, funcionalizado com grupo tiol, funcionalizado com grupo sulfeto e com grupo sulfonato de potássio - foram os compostos sintetizados e testados. Além desses, compostos comerciais, um contendo a função fosfinato e outro a função imidazolina quaternária foram testados com o mesmo intuito. Isotermas de adsorção foram ajustadas aos dados obtidos para imidazolina quaternária. Para simular condições próximas às encontradas na produção de petróleo, água do mar sintética acidificada com ácido clorídrico até pH 3 foi o meio utilizado, tendo o aço carbono 1020 empregado como substrato metálico. O Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado gerou resultados eletroquímicos e gravimétricos que mostraram que em concentrações de até 600 ppm desse composto o processo corrosivo é incentivado ao invés de ser desacelerado, indicando que tal composto não deve ser usado como inibidor de corrosão. O Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado modificado com dicloro-fosfato apresentou resultados insatisfatórios para as condições testadas tanto nos ensaios eletroquímicos como nos gravimétricos. Nas concentrações de 200, 400 e 600 ppm desse composto, a concentração intermediária é a única que diminui ligeiramente a taxa de corrosão, e para as demais concentrações a corrosão é incentivada. Os ensaios eletroquímicos das outras três moléculas obtidas por funcionalização do poliglicerol hiper-ramificado com grupos tiol, sulfonato e sulfeto indicaram aumento da deterioração do substrato. Os resultados de impedância eletroquímica indicaram que o composto à base de fosfinato e na concentração de 2000 ppm e maiores tempos de imersão resultaram em melhores resultados protetores. O ajuste dos dados às isotermas de adsorção para a imidazolina quaternária apresentou melhores resultados para o modelo de Flory-Huggins, porém, os elevados valores de coeficiente de determinação R2 das isotermas de Langmuir e Temkin também permitem dizer que tais modelos de adsorção são seguidos. / Organic compounds were studied by lectrochemical (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear polarization resistance and potenciodynamic polarization curves), analytical and gravimetric techniques, to analyze the possibilities of their use as corrosion inhibitors. Hyper branched polyglycerol only and modified with dichloro-phosphate, functionalized with thiol group, functionalized with sulfide and also with sulphonate group were synthesized and tested as corrosion inhibitors. Furthermore, commercial compounds, one based on phosphinate and a quaternary imidazoline were tested with the same objective. Adsorption isotherms were adjusted to the data obtained for quaternary imidazoline. To simulate the conditions close to those found in petroleum production, synthetic sea water acidified with hydrochloric acid up to pH 3 was the medium used, with 1020 carbon steel used as a metal substrate. The hyper branched polyglycerol generated electrochemical and gravimetric results which showed that, in concentrations up to 600 ppm of this compound, the corrosive process is favored rather than decelerated, indicating that this compound should not be used as a corrosion inhibitor. The hyper branched polyglycerol modified with dichloro-phosphate presented unsatisfactory results for the tested conditions for both electrochemical and gravimetric measurements. At concentrations of 200, 400 and 600 ppm of this compound, the intermediate concentration is the only one that slightly decreases the corrosion rate, and for the other concentrations corrosion is favored. The electrochemical measurements for the other three molecules obtained by functionalization of the hyper branched polyglycerol with thiol, sulphonate and sulfide groups indicated an increase on the substrate deterioration. The electrochemical impedance results showed that the compound based on phosphinate at 2000 ppm concentration and for higher immersion times resulted in better protective results. The adjustment of the data of the adsorption isotherms for quaternary imidazoline presented better results for the Flory-Huggins model. However, the high values of correlation factor R2 of Langmuir and Temkin isotherms show that these adsorption models are also followed.

Orientador: Fernando Gomes Romeiro / Resumo: Aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada aumentam a perfusão cerebral de pacientes com encefalopatia hepática (EH), mas o aminoácido responsável por esse aumento e os mecanismos envolvidos ainda não são conhecidos. Este estudo comparou a perfusão cerebral e a melhora clínica durante a suplementação de leucina ou isoleucina. Após a randomização, 27 indivíduos com cirrose e EH receberam suplementos de leucina ou isoleucina por um ano. Exames de tomografia computadorizada por emissão de fóton único (SPECT) e cintilografia cerebral dinâmica (DBS) foram realizados antes do estudo e após 1, 8 e 12 meses de suplementação. Apenas o grupo que recebeu isoleucina teve aumento da perfusão cerebral aos 8 meses de tratamento pelo exame de SPECT e pela cintilografia (p<0,001 e p = 0,05, respectivamente), também observado pelo SPECT aos 12 meses de suplementação (p < 0,05). O aumento do fluxo cerebral foi associado a melhora da EH aos 8 e 12 meses de suplementação (p=0,008 e 0,004, respectivamente), porém essa melhora não foi observada no grupo que recebeu leucina (p=0,313 e 0,055, respectivamente). A suplementação com isoleucina obteve melhor impacto na restauração da perfusão cerebral em pacientes com EH. / Abstract: Branched-chain amino acids increase the brain perfusion of patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE), but the amino acid and the mechanisms involved are still unknown. This study compared brain perfusion and clinical improvement during leucine or isoleucine supplementation. After randomization, 27 subjects with cirrhosis and HE received leucine or isoleucine supplements for one year. Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and dynamic brain scintigraphy (DBS) were performed pretreatment and at 1, 8 and 12 months of supplementation. Brain perfusion was increased only in the isoleucine group at 8 months of treatment by both SPECT and DBS (p<0.001 and p = 0.05, respectively) and by SPECT at the 12th month (p < 0.05). This was associated with hepatic encephalopathy improvement at 8 and 12 months (p=0.008 and 0.004, respectively), which was not observed in the leucine group (p=0.313 and 0.055, respectively). Isoleucine supplementation achieved a better impact on brain perfusion restoration in HE. / Doutor

On sait que le nombre de racines réelles d’un polynôme à une variable de degré d et à coefficients réels est compris entre 0 et d. Au début des années 90, E. Kostlan prouve que le nombre moyen de racines vaut racine carrée de d, lorsque ces polynômes sont équipées d’une mesure de probabilité adéquate. Ce résultat possède une interprétation géométrique, où les polynômes apparaissent comme sections au-dessus de la sphère de Riemann, et ils peuvent s’étendre au cadre plus général de sections de fibrés en droites amples sur une surface de Riemann. Il s’agit ici du calcul de l’espérance mathématique du nombre de racines réelles de ces polynômes ou sections. Dans cette thèse, on calcule tous les moments centrés de ces variable aléatoires. Comme application de ce calcul, on prouve que la mesure de l’ensemble des polynômes ou sections dont le nombre de racines s’ écartent de la moyenne est majoré de façon effective en fonction de cet écart, un résultat de type concentration de la mesure en probabilité. Dans une deuxième partie, on présente des résultats analogue dans la théorie de Hurwitz réelle, où plutôt que du nombre de racines réelles d’un polynôme aléatoire, on considère le nombre de points critiques réels d’un revêtement ramifié aléatoire de la sphère de Riemann. On calcul la moyenne et tous les moments centrés du nombre de points critiques réels d'un revêtement aléatoire.Les techniques employées dans la preuve de ces résultats sont de nature analytique (noyau de Bergman, estimées L^2) et géométriques (multi-espaces d'Olver, formule de la coaire) / It is well known that the number of real roots of a real degree d polynomial is at most d. In the 90s, E. Kostlan proved that the average number of real roots equals the square root of d, once we equip the space of polynomials with some natural Gaussian measure. This result has a geometric interpretation, in which the real polynomials are sections of a line bundle over the Riemann sphere. We can extend this study in a more general case of a real Riemann surface equipped with ample line bundle and study the expected value of the number of real zeros of a random section. In this thesis, we compute all the central moments of these random variables. As an application, we prove that the measure of the space of real sections whose number of real zeros deviates from the expected one goes to zeros, as the degree of the line bundle goes to infinity.In a second part, we present analogues results in real Hurwitz theory, in which we study the real critical points of a random branched covering of the Riemann sphere. We compute the expected value of this number and also all the central moments.The techniques we use are of analytique nature (Bergman kernel, L^2 estimates) and gometric one (Olver multispaces, coarea formula)

Orientador: Fernando Gomes Romeiro / Resumo: Introdução: Os aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada (BCAA) são parte do tratamento da encefalopatia hepática (HE) e aumentam a perfusão cerebral. Como são compostos por três aminoácidos diferentes, as proporções de cada um variam nos ensaios clínicos, tornando difícil esclarecer qual substância está mais envolvida na perfusão cerebral e em outros parâmetros significativos. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar os efeitos clínicos e de perfusão cerebral obtidos pela suplementação de leucina versus isoleucina para tratamento da HE. Métodos: Cinqüenta pacientes ambulatoriais com cirrose e HE foram randomizados para receber suplementos orais contendo 30 g de leucina ou isoleucina diariamente, por um ano. As avaliações clínicas e a avaliação nutricional foram realizadas bimestralmente. A Tomografia Computadorizada cerebral por emissão de fóton único (SPECT) e a cintilografia cerebral dinâmica foram realizadas pré-tratamento e em 1, 8 e 12 meses de suplementação. Vinte e sete indivíduos concluíram o estudo (16 com isoleucina e 11 com leucina). Resultados: O aumento da perfusão cerebral foi observado apenas no grupo isoleucina. O aumento foi documentado aos 8 meses de tratamento tanto pelo SPECT como pela cintilografia cerebral (p <0,001 e p = 0,05, respectivamente) e pelo SPECT no 12º mês (p <0,05). Foi associado a uma melhora significativa de HE em 8 e 12 meses neste grupo (p = 0,008 e 0,004, respectivamente), o que foi menos claro no grupo leucina (p = 0,313 e 0,055, respectivamente).... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

Através de técnicas eletroquímicas (espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, resistência à polarização linear e curvas de polarização potenciodinâmica), gravimétrica e analítica, compostos orgânicos foram estudados para avaliar suas possibilidades de emprego como inibidores de corrosão. Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado puro, modificado com dicloro-fosfato, funcionalizado com grupo tiol, funcionalizado com grupo sulfeto e com grupo sulfonato de potássio - foram os compostos sintetizados e testados. Além desses, compostos comerciais, um contendo a função fosfinato e outro a função imidazolina quaternária foram testados com o mesmo intuito. Isotermas de adsorção foram ajustadas aos dados obtidos para imidazolina quaternária. Para simular condições próximas às encontradas na produção de petróleo, água do mar sintética acidificada com ácido clorídrico até pH 3 foi o meio utilizado, tendo o aço carbono 1020 empregado como substrato metálico. O Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado gerou resultados eletroquímicos e gravimétricos que mostraram que em concentrações de até 600 ppm desse composto o processo corrosivo é incentivado ao invés de ser desacelerado, indicando que tal composto não deve ser usado como inibidor de corrosão. O Poliglicerol hiper-ramificado modificado com dicloro-fosfato apresentou resultados insatisfatórios para as condições testadas tanto nos ensaios eletroquímicos como nos gravimétricos. Nas concentrações de 200, 400 e 600 ppm desse composto, a concentração intermediária é a única que diminui ligeiramente a taxa de corrosão, e para as demais concentrações a corrosão é incentivada. Os ensaios eletroquímicos das outras três moléculas obtidas por funcionalização do poliglicerol hiper-ramificado com grupos tiol, sulfonato e sulfeto indicaram aumento da deterioração do substrato. Os resultados de impedância eletroquímica indicaram que o composto à base de fosfinato e na concentração de 2000 ppm e maiores tempos de imersão resultaram em melhores resultados protetores. O ajuste dos dados às isotermas de adsorção para a imidazolina quaternária apresentou melhores resultados para o modelo de Flory-Huggins, porém, os elevados valores de coeficiente de determinação R2 das isotermas de Langmuir e Temkin também permitem dizer que tais modelos de adsorção são seguidos. / Organic compounds were studied by lectrochemical (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear polarization resistance and potenciodynamic polarization curves), analytical and gravimetric techniques, to analyze the possibilities of their use as corrosion inhibitors. Hyper branched polyglycerol only and modified with dichloro-phosphate, functionalized with thiol group, functionalized with sulfide and also with sulphonate group were synthesized and tested as corrosion inhibitors. Furthermore, commercial compounds, one based on phosphinate and a quaternary imidazoline were tested with the same objective. Adsorption isotherms were adjusted to the data obtained for quaternary imidazoline. To simulate the conditions close to those found in petroleum production, synthetic sea water acidified with hydrochloric acid up to pH 3 was the medium used, with 1020 carbon steel used as a metal substrate. The hyper branched polyglycerol generated electrochemical and gravimetric results which showed that, in concentrations up to 600 ppm of this compound, the corrosive process is favored rather than decelerated, indicating that this compound should not be used as a corrosion inhibitor. The hyper branched polyglycerol modified with dichloro-phosphate presented unsatisfactory results for the tested conditions for both electrochemical and gravimetric measurements. At concentrations of 200, 400 and 600 ppm of this compound, the intermediate concentration is the only one that slightly decreases the corrosion rate, and for the other concentrations corrosion is favored. The electrochemical measurements for the other three molecules obtained by functionalization of the hyper branched polyglycerol with thiol, sulphonate and sulfide groups indicated an increase on the substrate deterioration. The electrochemical impedance results showed that the compound based on phosphinate at 2000 ppm concentration and for higher immersion times resulted in better protective results. The adjustment of the data of the adsorption isotherms for quaternary imidazoline presented better results for the Flory-Huggins model. However, the high values of correlation factor R2 of Langmuir and Temkin isotherms show that these adsorption models are also followed.

Os aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada (ACR) são considerados indispensáveis, pois não podem ser sintetizados endogenamente, sendo facilmente obtidos pela dieta. Entretanto, em determinadas condições clínicas, tanto a ingestão quando a absorção desses aminoácidos pode estar comprometida, levando ao estado hipercatabólico e prejudicando a função imune. O papel imunomodulador dos ACR tem sido relacionado com a melhora no balanço nitrogenado e o aumento da síntese e proliferação de células imunes, bem como, da síntese de mediadores inflamatórios. Entretanto, o mecanismo pelo qual os ACR exercem essas funções supracitadas ainda não é claro na literatura científica. Desta forma, esse trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos da suplementação com ACR sobre os parâmetros inflamatórios e moleculares em macrófagos RAW 264.7 estimulados com lipopolissacarídeo (LPS). As culturas celulares foram distribuídas em cinco grupos: CTL - sem suplementação com ACR; LEU - suplementado com leucina (2 mmol/L); ISO - suplementado com isoleucina (2mmol/L); VAL - suplementado com valina (2 mmol/L) e LIV - suplementado com leucina (2 mmol/L), isoleucina (2 mmol/L) e valina (2 mmol/L). O estado inflamatório foi induzido pela adição de LPS (1 &#181;g/mL) ao meio de cultura, seguindo quatro protocolos de tratamento: PT - pré-tratamento; TA - tratamento agudo; TC - tratamento crônico e TT - tratamento tardio. O ensaio de viabilidade celular foi realizado pelo teste MTT e a dosagem de óxido nítrico (NO) pela reação de Griess. As citocinas pró e anti-inflamatórias, e a prostaglandina E2 (PGE2) foram analisadas pelo método de ELISA. Para a avaliação dos parâmetros moleculares foi utilizado o método de western blotting. Houve aumento da viabilidade celular em todos os grupos suplementados em relação ao grupo controle no TA, no TC e no TT. Acerca da síntese de NO, a suplementação com ACR foi capaz de aumentar esse parâmetro em três dos quatro tratamentos propostos (PT, TA e TC). Em relação à síntese de citocinas pró e anti-inflamatórias, o PT e o TC foram mais eficazes em aumentar esse parâmetro em comparação aos outros tratamentos. Não houve diferença entre os grupos em relação à capacidade de síntese de PGE2 e à fosforilação de proteínas intracelulares. A partir dos resultados obtidos é possível concluir que os ACR contribuem significativamente para a viabilidade celular, bem como para a síntese de mediadores pró e anti-inflamatórios, sendo que o protocolo de suplementação se apresenta como fator determinante para obtenção desses resultados. Apesar da literatura científica atribuir grande parte dos efeitos imunomodulatórios à leucina, os resultados obtidos nesse estudo atribuem relevante potencial imunomodulador à isoleucina, abrindo espaço para um importante tema de estudo. / Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are considered indispensable, since they cannot be endogenously synthesized, being easily obtained by diet. However, in certain clinical conditions, both the intake and absorption of these amino acids may be compromised, leading to the hypercatabolic state and impairing the immune function. The immunomodulatory role of BCAA has been associated with the nitrogen balance improvement and the increase of production and proliferation of immune cells, as well as the synthesis of inflammatory mediators. However, the mechanisms by which BCAA modulate the immune system have not yet been completely elucidated. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of BCAA supplementation on intracellular mechanisms and inflammatory parameters in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Cell cultures were distributed into five groups: CTL - without ACR supplementation; LEU - supplemented with leucine (2 mmol/L); ISO - supplemented with isoleucine (2mmol / L); VAL - supplemented with valine (2 mmol/L) and LIV - supplemented with leucine (2 mmol/L), isoleucine (2 mmol/L) and valine (2 mmol/L). The inflammatory state was induced by the addition of LPS (1 &#181;g/ml) to the culture medium, following four treatment protocols: PT - pre-treatment; TA - acute treatment; TC - chronic treatment and TT - late treatment. The cell viability assay was performed by the MTT test and the nitric oxide (NO) dosage by the Griess reaction. Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were analyzed by ELISA. For the evaluation of the molecular parameters, the western blotting method was used. There was an increase in cell viability in all supplemented groups in relation to the control group in the TA, TC and TT treatments. Regarding NO synthesis, BCAA supplementation was able to increase NO production in three of the four proposed treatments (PT, TA and TC). In relation to the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, PT and CT were more effective in increasing this parameter, compared to the other treatments. There was no difference between groups in relation to PGE2 production and intracellular protein phosphorylation. From the obtained results it is possible to conclude that the BCAA significantly contributed to the cell viability, as well as, for the production of pro and anti-inflammatory mediators, and the supplementation protocol presents as determinant factor to obtain these results. Although the scientific literature attributed a large part of the immunomodulatory effects to leucine, the results obtained in this study attribute relevant immunomodulatory potential to isoleucine, opening space for an important study topic.