BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system, primarily, the substantia nigra. It is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigro-striatal pathway, and ultimately patients with Parkinson’s disease may lose up to 80% of their dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Symptoms include bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, resting tremor and impaired postural balance. Symptomatic relief is obtained by using levodopa and various adjunct therapy including dopamine agonists, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors. Levodopa is used as the gold-standard for treatment of this disease. It effectively controls motor symptoms, however, motor complications that impair the quality of life develop with continued levodopa use. No treatments currently available can halt disease progression, therefore novel drugs that can slow down or stop disease progression are urgently required. The monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B enzymes are flavoenzymes that play an important role in the oxidative degradation of amine neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine. Early attempts to block dopamine metabolism in the brain using nonselective MAO inhibitors was effective but led to side effects such as hypertensive crisis, thus they lost favor. The MAO-B enzyme is of particular importance in Parkinson’s disease because it is more active than MAO-A in the basal ganglia, and is thus primarily responsible for the catabolism of dopamine in the brain. Selegiline and rasagiline, both irreversible, selective MAO-B inhibitors have proven efficacy in symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but due to the irreversible nature of their binding, it can take several weeks after treatment termination for the enzyme to recover. Use of reversible inhibitors such as lazabemide and safinamide do not have this disadvantage, and have safer side effect profiles. Unfortunately, clinical trials for lazabemide use in Parkinson’s disease have been discontinued. Therefore, due to the lack of disease modifying agents for Parkinson’s disease, as well as safety concerns of current PD therapy, an urgent need exists for novel, safe and efficient MAO inhibitors. Current research is thus aimed at designing selective or non-selective reversible inhibitors that bind competitively to the enzyme. The MAO inhibitory potential of chromone derivatives has been illustrated previously. Evaluation of C6- and C7-alkyloxy substituted chromones, for example revealed that these compounds were potent, selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitors. It has further been shown that chromone 3-carboxylic acid is a potent selective, irreversible MAO-B inhibitor. Phenylcarboxamide substitution in position 3 of chromone 3-carboxylic acid also results in potent, selective MAO-B inhibitory activity. Therefore, further evaluation of the effect of substitution with flexible side chains in the 3-position to evaluate MAO-B inhibition is of importance. The chromone ring system is thus a privileged scaffold for the design of inhibitors that are selective for MAO-B and has the additional advantages of generally exhibiting low mammalian toxicity and ease of synthesis. AIM The aim of this study was to design, synthesize and evaluate novel chromone derivatives as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase. RESULTS Design and Synthesis 3-Aminomethylene-2,4-chromandiones and ester chromone derivatives were synthesized by coupling several aromatic and aliphatic amines and alcohols, to chromone 3-carboxylic acid, in the presence of CDI (carbonyldiimidazole). 15 Compounds were successfully synthesized and characterized by using NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as mass spectrometry. X-ray crystallography was used to obtain a crystal structure for the 3-aminomethylene-2,4- chromandione derivative, 46, in a bid to verify the structures of the synthesized compounds. Melting points of all compounds were determined, and the purity determined using HPLC techniques. MAO inhibition studies A fluorometric assay was employed using kynuramine as substrate, to determine the IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) values and SI (selectivity index) of the synthesized compounds. Generally, the esters exhibited weak MAO-A and MAO-B inhibition, while the 3- aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione derivatives showed promise as selective MAO-B inhibitors, with IC50 values in the micromolar range. Compound 38, 3- [(benzylamino)methylidene]-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran-2,4-dione, was the most potent MAO-B inhibitor with an IC50 value of 0.638 μM and a SI of 122 for MAO-B inhibition. Interesting trends were revealed through analysis of the structure activity relationships, for example, for the 3-aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione derivatives, the presence of a chlorine moiety in the side chains of the compounds resulted in a decrease of MAO-B inhibition activity. Chain elongation further also resulted in weakening the MAO-B inhibition activity, while chain elongation in the ester derivatives led to a slight increase in MAO-B inhibition activity. Reversibility studies The reversibility of binding of the most potent compound in the 3-aminomethylene-2,4- chromandione series, 38, was evaluated. None of the synthesized inhibitors were potent MAO-A inhibitors, therefore reversibility of MAO-A inhibition was not examined. Recovery of enzyme activity was determined after dialysis of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. Analysis of the kinetic data obtained showed that MAO-B catalytic activity was recovered to 115% of the control value. This suggests that compound 38 is a reversible inhibitor of MAO-B. Mode of inhibition A set of Lineweaver-Burk plots were constructed to determine mode of inhibition of compound 38. The results show linear lines that intersect at a single point just to the left on the y-axis. This indicates that compound 38 interacts competitively with the MAO-B enzyme. In conclusion, chromone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of MAO. Compound 38 was the most potent MAO-B inhibitor with an IC50 value of 0.638 μM. The effect of chain elongation and introduction of flexible substituents in position 3 of the chromone 3-carboxylic acid nucleus was explored and the results showed that 3- aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione substitution is preferable over ester substitution. / MSc (Pharmaceutical Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system, primarily, the substantia nigra. It is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigro-striatal pathway, and ultimately patients with Parkinson’s disease may lose up to 80% of their dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Symptoms include bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, resting tremor and impaired postural balance. Symptomatic relief is obtained by using levodopa and various adjunct therapy including dopamine agonists, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors. Levodopa is used as the gold-standard for treatment of this disease. It effectively controls motor symptoms, however, motor complications that impair the quality of life develop with continued levodopa use. No treatments currently available can halt disease progression, therefore novel drugs that can slow down or stop disease progression are urgently required. The monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B enzymes are flavoenzymes that play an important role in the oxidative degradation of amine neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine. Early attempts to block dopamine metabolism in the brain using nonselective MAO inhibitors was effective but led to side effects such as hypertensive crisis, thus they lost favor. The MAO-B enzyme is of particular importance in Parkinson’s disease because it is more active than MAO-A in the basal ganglia, and is thus primarily responsible for the catabolism of dopamine in the brain. Selegiline and rasagiline, both irreversible, selective MAO-B inhibitors have proven efficacy in symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but due to the irreversible nature of their binding, it can take several weeks after treatment termination for the enzyme to recover. Use of reversible inhibitors such as lazabemide and safinamide do not have this disadvantage, and have safer side effect profiles. Unfortunately, clinical trials for lazabemide use in Parkinson’s disease have been discontinued. Therefore, due to the lack of disease modifying agents for Parkinson’s disease, as well as safety concerns of current PD therapy, an urgent need exists for novel, safe and efficient MAO inhibitors. Current research is thus aimed at designing selective or non-selective reversible inhibitors that bind competitively to the enzyme. The MAO inhibitory potential of chromone derivatives has been illustrated previously. Evaluation of C6- and C7-alkyloxy substituted chromones, for example revealed that these compounds were potent, selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitors. It has further been shown that chromone 3-carboxylic acid is a potent selective, irreversible MAO-B inhibitor. Phenylcarboxamide substitution in position 3 of chromone 3-carboxylic acid also results in potent, selective MAO-B inhibitory activity. Therefore, further evaluation of the effect of substitution with flexible side chains in the 3-position to evaluate MAO-B inhibition is of importance. The chromone ring system is thus a privileged scaffold for the design of inhibitors that are selective for MAO-B and has the additional advantages of generally exhibiting low mammalian toxicity and ease of synthesis. AIM The aim of this study was to design, synthesize and evaluate novel chromone derivatives as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase. RESULTS Design and Synthesis 3-Aminomethylene-2,4-chromandiones and ester chromone derivatives were synthesized by coupling several aromatic and aliphatic amines and alcohols, to chromone 3-carboxylic acid, in the presence of CDI (carbonyldiimidazole). 15 Compounds were successfully synthesized and characterized by using NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as mass spectrometry. X-ray crystallography was used to obtain a crystal structure for the 3-aminomethylene-2,4- chromandione derivative, 46, in a bid to verify the structures of the synthesized compounds. Melting points of all compounds were determined, and the purity determined using HPLC techniques. MAO inhibition studies A fluorometric assay was employed using kynuramine as substrate, to determine the IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) values and SI (selectivity index) of the synthesized compounds. Generally, the esters exhibited weak MAO-A and MAO-B inhibition, while the 3- aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione derivatives showed promise as selective MAO-B inhibitors, with IC50 values in the micromolar range. Compound 38, 3- [(benzylamino)methylidene]-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran-2,4-dione, was the most potent MAO-B inhibitor with an IC50 value of 0.638 μM and a SI of 122 for MAO-B inhibition. Interesting trends were revealed through analysis of the structure activity relationships, for example, for the 3-aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione derivatives, the presence of a chlorine moiety in the side chains of the compounds resulted in a decrease of MAO-B inhibition activity. Chain elongation further also resulted in weakening the MAO-B inhibition activity, while chain elongation in the ester derivatives led to a slight increase in MAO-B inhibition activity. Reversibility studies The reversibility of binding of the most potent compound in the 3-aminomethylene-2,4- chromandione series, 38, was evaluated. None of the synthesized inhibitors were potent MAO-A inhibitors, therefore reversibility of MAO-A inhibition was not examined. Recovery of enzyme activity was determined after dialysis of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. Analysis of the kinetic data obtained showed that MAO-B catalytic activity was recovered to 115% of the control value. This suggests that compound 38 is a reversible inhibitor of MAO-B. Mode of inhibition A set of Lineweaver-Burk plots were constructed to determine mode of inhibition of compound 38. The results show linear lines that intersect at a single point just to the left on the y-axis. This indicates that compound 38 interacts competitively with the MAO-B enzyme. In conclusion, chromone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of MAO. Compound 38 was the most potent MAO-B inhibitor with an IC50 value of 0.638 μM. The effect of chain elongation and introduction of flexible substituents in position 3 of the chromone 3-carboxylic acid nucleus was explored and the results showed that 3- aminomethylene-2,4-chromandione substitution is preferable over ester substitution. / MSc (Pharmaceutical Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Submitted by Ana Hilda Fonseca (anahilda@ufba.br) on 2016-08-31T15:49:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Estudo fitoquímico da raiz de Dictyoloma vandellianum A. Jus.pdf: 13732713 bytes, checksum: 433553ed8ebe16e3ce80d35862057ca6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vanessa Reis (vanessa.jamile@ufba.br) on 2016-09-02T16:23:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Estudo fitoquímico da raiz de Dictyoloma vandellianum A. Jus.pdf: 13732713 bytes, checksum: 433553ed8ebe16e3ce80d35862057ca6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-02T16:23:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Estudo fitoquímico da raiz de Dictyoloma vandellianum A. Jus.pdf: 13732713 bytes, checksum: 433553ed8ebe16e3ce80d35862057ca6 (MD5) / Nesta dissertação são descritos o isolamento e determinação estrutural de alguns produtos naturais, presentes nos extratos orgânicos da raiz de um espécime de Dictyoloma vandellianum A. Juss, coletado na Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Do extrato diclorometânico da casca da raiz foram isoladas cinco cromonas. Do extrato hexânico do cerne da raiz foi isolado um esteróide. Dois alcalóides foram isolados do extrato metanólico do cerne da raiz. As substâncias isoladas e caracterizadas foram: 6-(3-metil-2-butenil) allopteroxilina éter metílico; 8-(3-metil-2-butenil) spatheliacromeno éter metílico; 6-(3-metil-2-butenil) allopteroxilina; 8-(3-metil-2-butenil) spatheliacromeno; spatheliabiscromeno; β-sitosterol; N-metil-8-metoxiflindersina e 8- metoxiflindersina. Elas foram determinadas por espectroscopia de infravermelho, técnicas de RMN, associações com propostas de biossíntese e comparação com dados da literatura. A localização do gênero Dictyoloma tem sido duvidosa desde a primeira vez em que foi descrito como integrante da família Rutaceae. O isolamento de cromonas preniladas na espécie D. vandellianum A. Juss, metabólitos que não são encontrados em outros gêneros da família Rutaceae, demonstra a singularidade do gênero dentro desta família. Deste modo, o isolamento de metabólitos característicos de Rutaceae e das cromonas preniladas contribui com a quimiotaxonomia do gênero. / This work presents isolation and structural determination of some natural products in organic root extract of Dictyoloma vandellianum A. Juss found in the Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Five chromones were isolated from root rind dichloromethane extract and a steroid from root core hexane extract. Two alkaloids also isolated from root core methanolic extract. The following compounds were isolated and characterized: 6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) allopteroxylin methyl ether; 8-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) spatheliachromen methyl ether; 6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) allopteroxylin; 8-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) spatheliachromen; spatheliabischromen; β-sitosterol; N- methyl-8-methoxyflindersine and 8-methoxyflindersine. That compounds were determined by Infrared Spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance technique. Associations with biosynthesis approach and comparison with literature data were also done in this thesis. The exact localization of the genus Dictyoloma has been doubtful since its first description as member of Rutaceae family. Prenyl-chromones type isolation from D. vandellianum A. Juss demonstrates the importance of the plant study. The prenyl-chromones type has not been found in other genus of Rutaceae family. So, isolation of Rutaceae typical metabolites and prenyl-chromones contributes with the chemotaxonomy of the genus

Department of Chemistry / MSc (Chemistry) / See the attached abstract below

Cheung Sao Fong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves xxiv-xxxvii). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Examination Committee List --- p.i / Declaration --- p.ii / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Abstract --- p.v / Abstract in Chinese --- p.viii / List of Figures and Tables --- p.x / List of Abbreviations --- p.xix / Table of Content --- p.xxiii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Human Liver Cancer --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Causes and Symptoms of Hepatocellular Carcinoma --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Treatment Options for Hepatocellular Carcinoma --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Multi-drug Resistance --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.4.1 --- Mechanisms of Multi-drug Resistance --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2 --- Traditional Chinese Medicine --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Sophora flavescens and Radix Sophorae --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Flavonoid and its Sub-classification --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Flavonoid and Human Health --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3 --- Cell Death --- p.17 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Necrosis --- p.17 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Apoptosis --- p.17 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Signaling Pathways in Apoptosis --- p.18 / Chapter 1.3.3.1 --- Extrinsic (Death Receptor-mediated) Pathway --- p.20 / Chapter 1.3.3.2 --- Intrinsic (Mitochondrial) Pathway --- p.21 / Chapter 1.3.3.3 --- Cysteine Aspartatic Acid Proteases --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4 --- Research Objective (s) --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- MATERIALS AND METHODS --- p.23 / Chapter 2.1 --- Materials --- p.23 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Cell Lines --- p.23 / Chapter 2.1.1.1 --- HepG2 --- p.24 / Chapter 2.1.1.2 --- RHepG2 --- p.24 / Chapter 2.1.1.3 --- WRL-68 --- p.25 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Culture Media --- p.26 / Chapter 2.1.2.1 --- Rosewell Park Memorial Institute( RPMl) 1640 Medium --- p.26 / Chapter 2.1.2.2 --- Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) --- p.26 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Animals --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2 --- Traditional Chinese Medicines and Conventional Anti-cancer Drugs --- p.27 / Chapter 2.3 --- Antibodies --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4 --- Chemicals --- p.30 / Chapter 2.5 --- Reagents and Buffers --- p.34 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Reagents for Silica Gel Column Chromatography --- p.34 / Chapter 2.5.2 --- Buffers for Common Use --- p.34 / Chapter 2.5.3 --- Reagents for Cell Viability Assay --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.4 --- Reagents and Buffers for Typical Apoptosis Experiments --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.4.1 --- Cell Cycle Analysis --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.4.2 --- Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) Assay --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.4.3 --- DNA Fragmentation Detection --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.5 --- Reagents and Buffers for Western Blot Study --- p.36 / Chapter 2.5.5.1 --- Whole-cell Protein Extraction --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5.5.2 --- Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Fraction Protein Extraction --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5.6 --- Reagents and Buffers for Mitochondrial Transmembrane Potential Depolarization Measurement --- p.39 / Chapter 2.5.7 --- Reagents and Buffers for in vivo Animal Study --- p.39 / Chapter 2.5.8 --- Reagents and Buffers for Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis --- p.40 / Chapter 2.5.8.1 --- Sample Preparation --- p.40 / Chapter 2.5.8.2 --- First Dimension Gel Electrophoresis - Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) --- p.40 / Chapter 2.5.8.3 --- Second Dimension Gel 日ectrophoresis - SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) --- p.40 / Chapter 2.5.8.4 --- Silver Staining --- p.41 / Chapter 2.5.9 --- Reagents for Mass Spectrometry Preparation --- p.42 / Chapter 2.5.9.1 --- Destaining --- p.42 / Chapter 2.5.9.2 --- Trypsin Digestion --- p.42 / Chapter 2.5.9.3 --- Desalting of Peptide Mixture --- p.43 / Chapter 2.5.10 --- Reagents and Buffers for Real-Time PCR --- p.43 / Chapter 2.6 --- Methods --- p.44 / Chapter 2.6.1 --- Isolation of Bioactive Constituents by Silica Gel Column Chromatography --- p.44 / Chapter 2.6.2 --- Cell Viability Assay --- p.45 / Chapter 2.6.3 --- Typical Apoptosis Experiments --- p.45 / Chapter 2.6.3.1 --- Cell Cycle Analysis --- p.46 / Chapter 2.6.3.2 --- Annexin V-FITC/ PI Staining Experiment --- p.47 / Chapter 2.6.3.3 --- Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) Assay --- p.48 / Chapter 2.6.3.4 --- DNA Fragmentation Reaction --- p.48 / Chapter 2.6.4 --- Western Blot Study --- p.49 / Chapter 2.6.4.1 --- Whole-cell Protein Extraction --- p.49 / Chapter 2.6.4.2 --- Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Fraction Protein Extraction --- p.50 / Chapter 2.6.5 --- Caspase Activity Determination --- p.54 / Chapter 2.6.6 --- Mitochondrial Transmembrane Potential Depolarization Measurement --- p.55 / Chapter 2.6.7 --- in vivo Animal Study --- p.56 / Chapter 2.6.8 --- Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis --- p.58 / Chapter 2.6.8.1 --- Sample Preparation --- p.58 / Chapter 2.6.8.2 --- First Dimension Electrophoresis - Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) --- p.59 / Chapter 2.6.8.3 --- Second Dimension Electrophoresis - SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) --- p.60 / Chapter 2.6.8.4 --- Silver Staining --- p.61 / Chapter 2.6.9 --- Mass Spectrometry Preparation --- p.63 / Chapter 2.6.9.1 --- Destaining and Trypsin Digestion --- p.63 / Chapter 2.6.9.2 --- Peptide Extraction --- p.63 / Chapter 2.6.9.3 --- Desalting of Peptide Mixture --- p.64 / Chapter 2.6.10 --- Real-Time PCR --- p.65 / Chapter 2.6.11 --- Cellular Glutathione Level Detection --- p.69 / Chapter 2.7 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.70 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS - CYTOTOXICITY OF FLAVONOIDS ISOLATED FROM RADIX SOPHORAE --- p.72 / Chapter 3.1 --- Screening of Cytotoxic Flavonoids from Radix Sophorae --- p.72 / Chapter 3.2 --- Cytotoxicity of Leachianone A on Human Hepatoma Cell Lines --- p.74 / Chapter 3.3 --- Cytotoxicity of Leachianone A on Human Normal Liver Cell Line --- p.77 / Chapter 3.4 --- Cytotoxicity of Sophoraflavone J on Human Hepatoma Cell Line --- p.79 / Chapter 3.5 --- Cytotoxicity of Sophoraflavone J on Human Normal Liver Cell Line --- p.79 / Chapter 3.6 --- Cytotoxicities of Cisplatin and Taxol on Human Hepatoma as well as Normal Liver Cell Lines --- p.81 / Chapter 3.7 --- Conclusion --- p.86 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- "RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS - MECHANISTIC STUDY OF LEACHIANONE A-INDUCED CELL DEATH IN HEPATOMA CELLS, HepG2 and RHepG2" --- p.88 / Chapter 4.1 --- Promotion of Cell Cycle Arrest --- p.88 / Chapter 4.2 --- Induction of Apoptosis as Evidenced by Phosphatidylserine Externalization and DNA Fragmentation --- p.93 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Occurrence of Phosphatidylserine Externalization --- p.94 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- DNA Fragmentation Detection --- p.99 / Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase(TdT)-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) Assay --- p.99 / Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- DNA Laddering Pattern in Agarose Gel Electrophoresis --- p.103 / Chapter 4.3 --- Recruitment of Multiple Signaling Pathways in Leachianone A-induced Apoptosis --- p.105 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- "Activation of Caspases-3, -8, and -9" --- p.105 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Altered Expressions of Bcl-2 Family Proteins --- p.112 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Loss of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential --- p.115 / Chapter 4.4 --- in vivo Tumor Growth Inhibition in HepG2-bearing Nude Mice --- p.121 / Chapter 4.5 --- Conclusion --- p.127 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS - MECHANISTIC STUDY OF SOPHORAFLAVONE J-INDUCED CELL DEATH IN HEPATOMA CELLS HepG2 --- p.132 / Chapter 5.1 --- Execution of Cellular Apoptosis --- p.133 / Chapter 5.2 --- Involvement of Multiple Signaling Pathways in Sophoraflavone J-induced Apoptosis --- p.138 / Chapter 5.3 --- Differential Proteomes of Control and Sophoraflavone J-treated HepG2 Cells --- p.148 / Chapter 5.4 --- Conclusion --- p.167 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- OVERALL CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES --- p.169 / References --- p.xxiv