<p>The interest for the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis and its role in the central nervous system (CNS) has grown during the past decade. GH has been associated with psychological functions as sleep, mood, general well-being and learning and memory. The present thesis is a contribution to clarify the functions and mechanisms involved in the actions of GH and IGF-1 in the CNS. A variant of the GH receptor (GHR) gene transcript lacking exon 3 (GHR3-) was cloned from ovine choroid plexus epithelial cells and tissue. The GHR3- transcript has previously only been identified in human tissue. Further, an anatomical study of the localization of GHR mRNA in the rat brain stem and spinal cord was carried out by the use of in situ hybridization. High densities of GHRs were found in areas associated with the regulation of food intake, sleep and nociception, functions known to be influenced by the GH/IGF-1 axis. The interaction with the opioid system was studied by an acute treatment with morphine. The levels of the transcripts for GHR and GHBP in the rat hippocampus and spinal cord were decreased 4 h after the injection of the opiate and restored to normal levels after 24 h. Young and aged rats injected with GH or IGF-1 showed differential gene regulation of subunits of the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor in the hippocampus. This indicates an age-related difference in the sensitivity to GH/IGF-1 mediated effects on memory functions. Moreover, hypophysectomized rats treated with GH showed improved performance in the Morris water maze, a spatial memory task. The effect was accompanied with an increase in transcripts for NMDA receptor subunits and its associated membrane anchoring PSD-95 protein. Taken together, the results suggest that GH and/or IGF-1 play important roles in mechanisms associated with cognitive functions.</p>

<p>In this study, we have addressed the serotonergic and the opioid system within the CNS. Both systems are of outmost importance in the etiology of disease states, especially mental disorders. </p><p>In our investigation of the serotonergic system, we have synthesized novel enantiomerically pure 6-aryl-3-amino- and 8-aryl-3-aminochromans as ligands for the 5-HT₇ receptor. One reason for the lack of understanding of the physiological functionality of the serotonin 5-HT₇ receptor, the most recently discovered member of the serotonin receptor family, is the absence of partial agonists and agonists. In this series, we have identified partial agonists with more than189 fold selectivity over the 5-HT_1Areceptor and one agonist with 29 fold greater selectivity over the serotonin 5-HT_1Areceptor. Thus the present series constitutes a starting point for developing highly selective ligands for the 5-HT₇ receptor. </p><p>In our investigation of the opioid system, our focus has been on the natural product salvinorin A, which is a highly selective kappa opioid receptor agonist. In the total synthesis of salvinorin A, we have accomplished the synthesis of a key intermediate, 6-(3-furyl)-4-methyl-5,6-dihydro-pyran-2-one via ring closing metathesis. Furthermore, synthetic methodologies have been developed as a part of the total synthesis. Several lipases have been screeened for their ability to generate enantiomerically pure 1-(3-Furyl)-3-buten-1-ol via bio-catalyzed hydrolysis of the corresponding acetate. The lipase from <i>Pseudomonas fluorescens</i> was identified as having stereoselectivity high enough to generate a % <i>ee </i>value above 98%. We have also developed a route for the introduction of a hydroxyl functionality in the γ position of α,β-unsaturated cyclic ketones by the regioselective oxidation of 1-silyloxy-1,3-dienes using dimethyldioxirane. We have initiated the investigation of the pharmacophore responsible for the kappa opioid activity by synthesizing simplified analogues of salvinorin A. A synthetic route providing easy access to simplified analogues of salvinorin A have been established.</p>

<p>The HIV protease is an essential enzyme for HIV replication and constitutes an important target in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Efficient combination therapies using inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes have led many to reevaluate HIV infections from a terminal condition to a chronic-but-manageable disease in the developed world. Unfortunately, the emergence of drug resistant viral strains and severe treatment-related adverse effects limit the benefits of current anti-HIV/AIDS drugs for many patients. Furthermore, less than one in ten patients infected with HIV in low- and middle-income countries have access to proper treatment. These important shortcomings highlight the need for new, cost effective anti-HIV/AIDS drugs with unique properties.</p><p>Microwave heating has recently emerged as a productivity-enhancing tool for the medicinal chemist. Reaction times can often be reduced from hours to minutes or seconds and chemistry previously considered impractical or unattainable can now be accessed.</p><p>In this thesis, the search for unique HIV-1 protease inhibitors and the development and application of new microwave-promoted synthetic methods useful in small-scale medicinal chemistry applications are presented. Protocols for rapid amino- and hydrazidocarbonylations were developed. Mo(CO)₆ was used as a solid source of carbon monoxide, enabling a safe, efficient and simple way to exploit carbonylation chemistry without the direct use of toxic carbon monoxide gas. The aminocarbonylation methodology was applied in the synthesis of two series of new HIV-1 protease inhibitors. A biological evaluation suggested that <i>ortho</i>-substitution of P1 and/or P1’ benzyl side chains might provide a new approach to HIV-1 protease inhibitors with novel properties. To assess the scope and limitations of the <i>ortho</i>-substitution concept, a new series of compounds exhibiting fair potency was prepared by various microwave-heated, palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Finally, computer modeling was applied to rationalize the binding-modes and structure-activity relationships of these HIV-1 protease inhibitors.</p>

<p>Large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are produced by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) upon inflammatory stimuli. NO is a multifaceted molecule, which may have beneficial effects as an antimicrobial agent in the immune defense, or cytotoxic effects in chronic inflammations, manifested as e.g. arthritis and asthma. Understanding the mode of regulation of the iNOS gene is a prerequisite for developing intervention strategies in various pathological conditions where detrimental effects of NO need to be prevented.</p><p>Transcriptional processes of the iNOS gene regulation are well described, while post-transcriptional events have not been studied in detail. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involving the 3’untranslated region (UTR) of the murine iNOS mRNA.</p><p>Inflammation-dependent RNA-protein interactions with the iNOS mRNA 3’UTR were characterized by RNA gel shift analysis and UV cross-linking. <i>Trans</i>-acting factors interacting with the 3’UTR were detected in mouse liver and macrophages and identified as heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNP) I and L. Western blot revealed that reduced hnRNPI levels are responsible for the decreased interaction of hnRNPI with iNOS 3’UTR upon induction in inflammatory conditions. This decrease was reversed by the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, concomitant with decreased iNOS mRNA levels and stability. Introduction of the iNOS 3’UTR into a luciferase reporter gene reduced its expression in macrophages. Upon deletions of the binding sites for hnRNPI and hnRNPL, the luciferase expression was recovered. In addition, inflammatory stimuli increased the luciferase activity of the construct with the full-length 3’UTR, while only weak effects of the stimuli were seen on the deletion constructs.</p><p>In conclusion, the results suggest that binding of hnRNPI and hnRNPL to the iNOS mRNA 3’UTR promotes degradation of the transcript. Induction of iNOS by inflammatory stimuli dissociates the RNA-protein complex, yielding a more stable mRNA. In addition, post-transcriptional down-regulation of the iNOS gene by the anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid dexamethasone, seems to involve hnRNPI.</p>

This thesis examines the isolation and characterisation (biological and chemical) of polypeptides from plants. A fractionation protocol was developed and applied on 100 plant materials with the aim of isolating highly purified polypeptide fractions from small amounts of plant materials. The polypeptide fractions were analysed and evaluated for peptide content and biological activities. A multitarget functional bioassay was optimised as a method for detecting substances interacting with the inflammatory process of activated neutrophil granulocytes. In this assay, the neutrophil was challenged with an inflammatory mediator, N-formyl methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), or with platelet activating factor (PAF), to induce exocytotic release of the enzyme elastase, which then was quantified by photometric determination of the product p-nitroanilide (pNA) formed from a chromogenic substrate for elastase. Of the tested extracts, 41% inhibited pNA formation more than 60%, and 3% stimulated formation. Phoratoxin B and four new peptides, phoratoxins C-F, were isolated from Phoradendron tomentosum. In addition, the cardiac glycoside digitoxin was isolated from Digitalis purpurea. All these substances expressed cytotoxicity and a neutrophil challenging activity. Phoratoxins C-F were similar to earlier described phoratoxins A and B, which belong to the group of thionins. All the peptides were evaluated for cytotoxicity in a human cell line panel. Phoratoxin C was the most potent towards the cell lines (mean IC50: 160 nM), and was therefore investigated further on tumour cells from patients. Correlation analysis of the log IC50 values indicated a mechanism of action different from clinically used archetypal cytotoxic drugs. Phoratoxin C also showed selective toxicity to the solid tumours when compared to the haematological cancer types. The phoratoxin C was 18 times more potent towards the solid tumour samples from breast cancer cells (87 nM) compared to the tested haematological malignancies. The structure-activity relationship concerning cytotoxicity was evaluated for digitoxin and related cardiac glycosides. Digitoxin was shown to be potent, with the average IC50 37 nM being within the therapeutic concentration used for cardiac congestion (13-45 nM). Digitoxin expressed selective toxicity towards solid tumours from patients compared to haematological malignancies.

This study addresses the issue of how to convert peptides into drug-like non- peptides with retained biological activities at peptide receptors. Angiotensin II (Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe, Ang II) was used as a model peptide. Knowledge of the bioactive conformations of endogenous peptides is invaluable for the conversion of peptides into less peptidic analogues. Effectively constrained cyclic analogues, with retained pharmacological activities, may provide valuable information about the bioactive conformations of the peptide in question. This thesis describes the development of synthesis for a number of protected, aldehyde-functionalized building blocks for standard solid phase peptide synthesis, and their use for the preparation of cyclic peptide analogues. The effect of variations in the side-chain lengths of the building blocks, on the outcome of the cyclizations was studied. Incorporation of a building block derived from L-aspartic acid afforded bicyclization towards the C-terininal end of the peptide, while for the corresponding L-glutamic acid derived building block, N-terminal directed bicyclization was achieved. A building block derived from L-2-aminoadipic acid was exploited for monocyclization furnishing cis- and trans- vinyl sulfide bridged peptide analogues. The described cyclization methods have been applied to the synthesis of a number of conformationally constrained Ang II analogues, for which the pharmacological properties have been evaluated. Two of the Ang II analogues synthesized displayed high affinities and full agonist activities at the AT1 angiotensin receptor, and have proven to be useful tools in the search for the bioactive conformation of Ang II.

The interest for the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis and its role in the central nervous system (CNS) has grown during the past decade. GH has been associated with psychological functions as sleep, mood, general well-being and learning and memory. The present thesis is a contribution to clarify the functions and mechanisms involved in the actions of GH and IGF-1 in the CNS. A variant of the GH receptor (GHR) gene transcript lacking exon 3 (GHR3-) was cloned from ovine choroid plexus epithelial cells and tissue. The GHR3- transcript has previously only been identified in human tissue. Further, an anatomical study of the localization of GHR mRNA in the rat brain stem and spinal cord was carried out by the use of in situ hybridization. High densities of GHRs were found in areas associated with the regulation of food intake, sleep and nociception, functions known to be influenced by the GH/IGF-1 axis. The interaction with the opioid system was studied by an acute treatment with morphine. The levels of the transcripts for GHR and GHBP in the rat hippocampus and spinal cord were decreased 4 h after the injection of the opiate and restored to normal levels after 24 h. Young and aged rats injected with GH or IGF-1 showed differential gene regulation of subunits of the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor in the hippocampus. This indicates an age-related difference in the sensitivity to GH/IGF-1 mediated effects on memory functions. Moreover, hypophysectomized rats treated with GH showed improved performance in the Morris water maze, a spatial memory task. The effect was accompanied with an increase in transcripts for NMDA receptor subunits and its associated membrane anchoring PSD-95 protein. Taken together, the results suggest that GH and/or IGF-1 play important roles in mechanisms associated with cognitive functions.

In this study, we have addressed the serotonergic and the opioid system within the CNS. Both systems are of outmost importance in the etiology of disease states, especially mental disorders. In our investigation of the serotonergic system, we have synthesized novel enantiomerically pure 6-aryl-3-amino- and 8-aryl-3-aminochromans as ligands for the 5-HT7 receptor. One reason for the lack of understanding of the physiological functionality of the serotonin 5-HT7 receptor, the most recently discovered member of the serotonin receptor family, is the absence of partial agonists and agonists. In this series, we have identified partial agonists with more than189 fold selectivity over the 5-HT1A receptor and one agonist with 29 fold greater selectivity over the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor. Thus the present series constitutes a starting point for developing highly selective ligands for the 5-HT7 receptor. In our investigation of the opioid system, our focus has been on the natural product salvinorin A, which is a highly selective kappa opioid receptor agonist. In the total synthesis of salvinorin A, we have accomplished the synthesis of a key intermediate, 6-(3-furyl)-4-methyl-5,6-dihydro-pyran-2-one via ring closing metathesis. Furthermore, synthetic methodologies have been developed as a part of the total synthesis. Several lipases have been screeened for their ability to generate enantiomerically pure 1-(3-Furyl)-3-buten-1-ol via bio-catalyzed hydrolysis of the corresponding acetate. The lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens was identified as having stereoselectivity high enough to generate a % ee value above 98%. We have also developed a route for the introduction of a hydroxyl functionality in the γ position of α,β-unsaturated cyclic ketones by the regioselective oxidation of 1-silyloxy-1,3-dienes using dimethyldioxirane. We have initiated the investigation of the pharmacophore responsible for the kappa opioid activity by synthesizing simplified analogues of salvinorin A. A synthetic route providing easy access to simplified analogues of salvinorin A have been established.

The HIV protease is an essential enzyme for HIV replication and constitutes an important target in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Efficient combination therapies using inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes have led many to reevaluate HIV infections from a terminal condition to a chronic-but-manageable disease in the developed world. Unfortunately, the emergence of drug resistant viral strains and severe treatment-related adverse effects limit the benefits of current anti-HIV/AIDS drugs for many patients. Furthermore, less than one in ten patients infected with HIV in low- and middle-income countries have access to proper treatment. These important shortcomings highlight the need for new, cost effective anti-HIV/AIDS drugs with unique properties. Microwave heating has recently emerged as a productivity-enhancing tool for the medicinal chemist. Reaction times can often be reduced from hours to minutes or seconds and chemistry previously considered impractical or unattainable can now be accessed. In this thesis, the search for unique HIV-1 protease inhibitors and the development and application of new microwave-promoted synthetic methods useful in small-scale medicinal chemistry applications are presented. Protocols for rapid amino- and hydrazidocarbonylations were developed. Mo(CO)6 was used as a solid source of carbon monoxide, enabling a safe, efficient and simple way to exploit carbonylation chemistry without the direct use of toxic carbon monoxide gas. The aminocarbonylation methodology was applied in the synthesis of two series of new HIV-1 protease inhibitors. A biological evaluation suggested that ortho-substitution of P1 and/or P1’ benzyl side chains might provide a new approach to HIV-1 protease inhibitors with novel properties. To assess the scope and limitations of the ortho-substitution concept, a new series of compounds exhibiting fair potency was prepared by various microwave-heated, palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Finally, computer modeling was applied to rationalize the binding-modes and structure-activity relationships of these HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

Large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are produced by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) upon inflammatory stimuli. NO is a multifaceted molecule, which may have beneficial effects as an antimicrobial agent in the immune defense, or cytotoxic effects in chronic inflammations, manifested as e.g. arthritis and asthma. Understanding the mode of regulation of the iNOS gene is a prerequisite for developing intervention strategies in various pathological conditions where detrimental effects of NO need to be prevented. Transcriptional processes of the iNOS gene regulation are well described, while post-transcriptional events have not been studied in detail. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involving the 3’untranslated region (UTR) of the murine iNOS mRNA. Inflammation-dependent RNA-protein interactions with the iNOS mRNA 3’UTR were characterized by RNA gel shift analysis and UV cross-linking. Trans-acting factors interacting with the 3’UTR were detected in mouse liver and macrophages and identified as heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNP) I and L. Western blot revealed that reduced hnRNPI levels are responsible for the decreased interaction of hnRNPI with iNOS 3’UTR upon induction in inflammatory conditions. This decrease was reversed by the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, concomitant with decreased iNOS mRNA levels and stability. Introduction of the iNOS 3’UTR into a luciferase reporter gene reduced its expression in macrophages. Upon deletions of the binding sites for hnRNPI and hnRNPL, the luciferase expression was recovered. In addition, inflammatory stimuli increased the luciferase activity of the construct with the full-length 3’UTR, while only weak effects of the stimuli were seen on the deletion constructs. In conclusion, the results suggest that binding of hnRNPI and hnRNPL to the iNOS mRNA 3’UTR promotes degradation of the transcript. Induction of iNOS by inflammatory stimuli dissociates the RNA-protein complex, yielding a more stable mRNA. In addition, post-transcriptional down-regulation of the iNOS gene by the anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid dexamethasone, seems to involve hnRNPI.