Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Advanced oxidation protein product'

The aim of this study was to characterize markers of oxidation of proteins in cattle, developing the assay method of AOPP (advanced oxidation protein products). Using standard commercial proteins (Bovine serum Albumin, bovine g-Globuline), oxidations In vitro were performed with chlorinated oxidant (hypochlorous acid) and hydroperoxide (cumene hydroperoxide) determining the relationship between AOPP and carbonyl groups by spectrophotometric and Western blotting analysis. The conformational changes of the standards were observed by one-dimensional electrophoresis kept in non-reducing conditions. In the second part of this project, we have studied the relationship between inflammation indicators and AOPP in both healthy cow and in animals with inflammatory processes, supporting the hypothesis that AOPP are specific indicators of protein oxidation by chlorinated oxidants produced by neutrophilis. The third part of the work has focused on the production of oxidative standard protein (AOPP-BSA) for the development of ELISA systems to detect autoantibodies directed against epitopes of oxidized proteins.
Lo scopo del presente studio è stato quello di caratterizzare indicatori dell’ossidazione delle proteine nella specie bovina, sviluppando la metodica del dosaggio delle AOPP (advanced oxidation protein products). A partire da standard proteici commerciali (Albumina bovina e g-Globuline bovine) sono state eseguite delle ossidazioni in vitro con ossidante clorurato (acido ipocloroso) ed idroperossido (Cumene idroperossido) determinando la relazione tra AOPP e gruppi carbonilici tramite analisi spettrofotometriche e densitometriche tramite Western blotting. Le modificazioni conformazionali degli standard sono state osservate mediante elettroforesi monodimensionali mantenute in condizioni non riducenti. La seconda parte del progetto sono state studiate le relazioni tra indicatori del processo infiammatorio e le AOPP in animali sani e/o con processi infiammatori in atto, avvalorando l’ipotesi che le AOPP siano degli indicatori specifici dell’ossidazione proteica da parte di ossidanti clorurati di origine neutrofilica. La terza parte del lavoro si è focalizzata sulla produzione di standard proteici ossidati (AOPP-BSA) per la messa a punto di sistemi ELISA per l’individuazione di autoanticorpi diretti contro epitopi ossidati delle proteine.

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Oxidative stress is characterized by an imbalance between the production of free radicals, particularly reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the defense capacity of the organism against these species, leading to a progressive oxidative damage. Proteins are considered to be the primary target for oxidative damage, since they are major components of biological systems and may neutralize 50 to 75% of free radicals. Recently, a new class of compounds formed as a result of oxidative stress was described, referred to as advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP). The accumulation of AOPP was first described in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis and subsequently it was found that this marker is involved in a number of pathological conditions such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, obesity, and acute renal failure. Previous studies have identified AOPP as a new marker of oxidative damage to proteins and a new class of inflammatory mediators promoting effects both at the cellular level, as at systemic level. In this context, different biological structures, including plasma proteins such as albumin and fibrinogen are susceptible to oxidation by ROS. It is known that albumin is the major target of oxidative stress in plasma of uremic patients, however, it has been demonstrated that the fibrinogen is also capable of undergoing oxidative modification. Whereas the oxidative and inflammatory processes are involved in the pathophysiology of a number of clinical conditions and AOPP is a biomarker which can reflect these changes, it is extremely important to evaluate the susceptibility of other proteins to the formation of these products, in addition to albumin. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the formation of AOPP from the fibrinogen in an in vitro model and evaluate structural and functional changes in the molecule of this pro-coagulant protein. Thus, to promote in vitro AOPP, fibrinogen was exposed to hypochlorous acid (HOCl) at various concentrations (1, 2 and 4 mM). After checking the effectiveness of fibrinogen to produce AOPP, was demonstrated that the formation of these products promotes functional alterations in fibrinogen, causing changes in their structural domains and increasing their procoagulant activity. Therefore, the fibrinogen can be considered a source of AOPP formation and deterioration caused by this process in the molecule of this protein, may be related to several pathological conditions involving coagulation system and contribute especially in the development of thrombotic processes.
O estresse oxidativo é caracterizado pelo desequilíbrio entre a produção de radicais livres, em particular espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs), e a capacidade de defesa do organismo contra essas espécies, levando a um progressivo dano oxidativo. As proteínas são consideradas o principal alvo para o dano oxidativo, uma vez que estas são as maiores componentes dos sistemas biológicos e podem neutralizar 50 a 75% dos radicais livres. Recentemente, foi descrita uma nova classe de compostos formados em consequência do estresse oxidativo, designada como produtos proteicos de oxidação avançada (AOPP). O acúmulo de AOPP foi primeiramente descrito em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica submetidos à hemodiálise e, posteriormente, verificou-se que este marcador está envolvido em uma série de condições patológicas, como diabetes, aterosclerose, obesidade e insuficiência renal aguda. Estudos prévios têm identificado AOPP como um novo marcador de dano oxidativo a proteínas e uma nova classe de mediadores inflamatórios, promovendo efeitos tanto a nível celular, quanto a nível sistêmico. Neste contexto, diferentes estruturas biológicas, incluindo proteínas plasmáticas como a albumina e o fibrinogênio, são passíveis a oxidação por EROs. Sabe-se que a albumina é o principal alvo do estresse oxidativo no plasma de pacientes urêmicos, no entanto, já foi demonstrado que o fibrinogênio também é passível de sofrer modificações oxidativas. Considerando que os processos inflamatórios e oxidativos estão envolvidos na fisiopatologia de uma série de condições clínicas e que AOPP é um biomarcador que pode refletir essas alterações, é de extrema relevância a avaliação da susceptibilidade de outras proteínas à formação desses produtos, além da albumina. Assim, o principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a formação de AOPP a partir do fibrinogênio em um modelo in vitro, bem como avaliar alterações estruturais e funcionais na molécula desta proteína pró-coagulante. Desse modo, para a promoção de AOPP in vitro, o fibrinogênio foi exposto ao ácido hipocloroso (HOCl) em diversas concentrações (1, 2 e 4mM). Após a verificação da efetividade do fibrinogênio em produzir AOPP, foi demonstrado que a formação destes produtos promove alterações funcionais no fibrinogênio, causando modificações em seus domínios estruturais e aumentando sua atividade pró-coagulante. Portanto, o fibrinogênio pode ser considerado uma fonte de formação de AOPP e as alterações provocadas por este processo na molécula desta proteína, podem estar relacionadas a diversas condições patológicas envolvendo o sistema da coagulação e contribuir especialmente, no desenvolvimento de processos trombóticos.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between AOPP (Advanced oxidation protein products) and bovine neutrophils 'in vitro'. For this purpose AOPP were produced "in vitro" by oxidizing bovine serum albumin with HOCl (hypochlorous acid) and bovine neutrophils were isolated from whole blood of dairy cattles. AOPP-BSA were incubated with freshly isolated bovine neutrophils, unstimulated and stimulated with PMA a strong activator of the respiratory burst. Neutrophils ROS production and viability were measured by luminol-amplified chemiluminescence and by MTT and lactate dehydrogenase assays (LDH), respectively. Results obtained have shown that AOPP-BSA are able to reduce significantly ROS production of PMA stimulated neutrophil and their viability measured by MTT assay, no cell lysis was detected by LDH assay. On the basis of these results, our work has studied if AOPP are able to trigger apoptotic events. For this purpose, caspase 8-9-3 and DNA laddering were used as markers in order to discriminate between the 'intrinsic' and the 'extrinsic' pathway of apoptosis. The results obtained showed that un-stimulated bovine neutrophils incubated with AOPP-BSA show a higher but not significant production of active caspase 8 in comparison with the incubation with BSA. Also caspase 3 display an increase, but not significant, in un-stimulated neutrophils after 6 hours of incubation with AOPP-BSA, respects the incubation with BSA. No differences were obtained for caspase 9 and for DNA laddering. Therefore, in these experimental conditions is possible to conclude that the 'intrinsic' pathway of apoptosis was not involved in the reduced functionality of neutrophils or in their reduced viability, but bovine neutrophils incubated with AOPP-BSA seem to be "accompanied" to the early phases of the 'extrinsic' pathways of apoptosis. In addition, the present work wanted to evaluate the capacity of triggered neutrophils to generate AOPP in vitro. BSA was incubated with un-stimulated and PMA-stimulated bovine neutrophils for 1-2-3 hours and the production of specific markers of protein oxidation such as AOPP, dityrosines and carbonyls was assessed. BSA incubated with stimulated neutrophils presents a significant higher level of AOPP and dityrosines respects the incubation with un-stimulated neutrophils. Carbonyls don't seem to be produced in these condition, at least at the beginning of the incubation. In parallel, BSA incubated with the same concentration of HOCl produced by PMA-stimulated neutrophils, for 1-2-3 hours, presents a higher level of AOPP, dityrosines and carbonyls. Therefore, it's possible to conclude that bovine neutrophils are able to oxidize BSA in vitro and generate chemical and structural modification such as AOPP and dityrosines, in the experimental condition used. However, carbonyls seem to be a non-specific indicator of neutrophils-mediated protein oxidation. The direct exposure of BSA to HOCl couldn't fully mimic the complex events leading to BSA oxidation and AOPP production by activated neutrophils.
Lo scopo del presente studio è stato quello di valutare le relazioni tra AOPP (prodotti avanzati di ossidazione proteica) e i neutrofili di bovino "in vitro". A questo scopo le AOPP sono state generate "in vitro", ossidando l'albumina sierica bovina con HOCl (acido ipocloroso) mentre i neutrofili di bovino sono stati isolati da sangue intero di bovine da latte. Le AOPP-BSA sono state incubate con i neutrofili di bovino appena isolati in condizioni di assenza di stimolo o stimolati con PMA un forte attivatore del "burst" respiratorio. La produzione di ROS da parte dei neutrofili e la loro vitalità , sono state misurate rispettivamente mediante chemiluminescenza amplificata dal luminolo e dai saggi MTT e lattato deidrogenasi (LDH). I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato che le AOPP-BSA sono in grado di ridurre significativamente la produzione di ROS da parte dei neutrofili stimolati con PMA e la loro vitalità , misurata con il saggio MTT mentre non è stata rilevata lisi cellulare mediante saggio LDH. Sulla base di questi risultati il presente lavoro si è proposto di studiare se le AOPP sono in grado di scatenare eventi apopotici. A questo scopo le caspasi 3, 8 , 9 e la frammentazione del DNA sono stati utilizzati come marker con l'obiettivo di discriminare tra la via intrinseca e quella estrinseca di apoptosi. I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato che i neutrofili di bovino non stimolati e incubati con AOPP-BSA per 1 ora e 6 ore, presentano una maggiore ma non significativa produzione di caspasi 8 attiva, se comparati con l'incubazione con BSA. Anche la caspasi 3 mosta un incremento, non significativo in neutrofili non stimolati incubati con AOPP-BSA per 6 ore, rispetto all'incubazione con BSA. Non è stata ottenuta alcuna differenza per quanto riguarda la caspasi 9 e la frammentazione del DNA. Tuttavia, in queste condizioni sperimentali è possibile concludere che la via intrinseca dell'apoptosi non è coinvolta nella riduszione della funzionalità  dei neutrofili di bovino o nella loro vitalità  ma i neutrofili di bovino incubati con AOPP-BSA sembrano piuttosto essere 'accompagnati' verso le fasi precoci della via estrinseca dell'apoptosi. Inoltre, il seguente studio ha voluto valutare la capacità  dei neutrofili di bovino attivati di generare AOPP 'in vitro'. La BSA è stata incubata con neutrofili di bovino non stimolati e stimolati con PMA per 1-2-3 ore, ed è stata misurata la formazione di specifici marcatori di ossidazione proteica come le AOPP le ditirosine e i carbonili. La BSA incubata con neutrofili stimolati con PMA, presenta un livello significativamente alto di AOPP e ditirosine rispetto all'incubazione con neutrofili non stimolati. I carbonili invece sembrano non essere prodotti in queste condizioni, almeno nelle fasi inziali dell'incubazione. In parallelo, la BSA incubata con la stessa concentrazione di HOCl prodotta dai neutrofili stimolati, per 1-2-3 ore, presenta livelli più elevato di AOPP, ditirosine e carbonili. Tuttavia è possibile concludere che i neutrofili di bovino sono in grado di ossidare la BSA e generare modificazioni chimiche e strutturali come AOPP e ditirosine nelle condizioni sperimentate. I carbonili invece sembrano non essere un marcatore specifico di ossidazione proteica mediata dai neutrofili. In aggiunta la diretta esposizione della BSA all'HOCl non è in grado di mimare completamente la complessità  degli eventi che portano all'ossidazione della BSA e alla produzione di AOPP da parte dei neutrofili attivati.

CKD is diagnosed when there’s a decreased kidney function shown by a GFR less than 60 ml / min (established for a reference man with 1.73 m² body surface area), or markers of kidney damage, or both, of at least 3 months duration. The severity of complications increases in parallel with the GFR decline. We focused on three comorbidities extremely common in CKD patients: oxidative stress and inflammation; anemia and dysbiosis. We investigated these CKD comorbidities both with in vitro and in vivo approaches. More in detail, regarding in vivo studies, we measured oxidative stress biomarkers in a population of ESRD patients before and after the hemodialysis treatment, comparing the results with a population of healthy subjects; we evaluated oxidative stress biomarkers in the plasma of HD patients before, during and after two type of iron treatments (intravenous and sucrosomial iron). Regarding in vitro experiments, we focused on two uremic toxins, urea and indoxyl sulphate, and we evaluated their effects on a human endothelial cell line (Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells 1, HMEC-1).

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The assessment of biomarkers of reactions involving reactive oxygen species have the potential not only to determine the extent of oxidative damage, but also to predict the effectiveness of therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing or preventing the damage promoted by oxidative stress. Recently, it has been described and characterized a new class of compounds formed in consequence of oxidative stress, designated as advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP). The accumulation of AOPP was first described in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis and was subsequently found in diabetes, atherosclerosis, obesity and acute renal failure. Previous studies have identified AOPP as a new marker of oxidative damage to proteins and a new class of inflammatory mediators, providing arange of effects at both the cellular and systemic levels. Although the mechanism of action by which AOPP act is not fully understood, it is known that these products activate respiratory burst in phagocytes, including neutrophils and monocytes, through the activation of enzymes present in these cells. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that AOPP may promot these effects (pro-oxidants and pro-inflammatory) at several cell types such as endothelial and kidney cells via activation of a signaling cascade, and in some aspects of this cascade AOPP effects is very similar to effects caused by advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In this context, the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of compounds in vitro models involving the formation of AOPP may present special interest. Among these compounds, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Fructose-1 ,6-bisphosphate (FBP) may be promising substances for this purpose. The NAC is a sulfhydryl donor group very similar to the amino acid cysteine and FBP is a highly energetic intermediate metabolite of glycolysis. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of FBP and NAC, as well as the synergistic effect of both treatments on the formation of AOPP in vitro. For this purpose, purified human albumin was incubated with various concentrations of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) (1, 2 and 4 mM) to produce AOPP in vitro, which was named albumin-advanced oxidation protein products (albumin-AOPP). In this context, both FBP as NAC were able to inhibit the formation of AOPP concentration-dependent manner, with FBP 20mg/mL and NAC 1mg/mL were responsible for the inhibition of 64% and 85% respectively. Furthermore, the synergistic effect promoted by the association of both compounds was more effective ininhibiting the formation of AOPP. Therefore, FBP and NAC may be promising candidates to mitigate or neutralize the pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant triggered by AOPP.
A avaliação de biomarcadores das reações que envolvem as espécies reativas de oxigênio têm potencial não apenas de determinar a extensão do dano oxidativo, mas também de predizer a eficiência das estratégias terapêuticas destinadas a reduzir ou prevenir os danos promovidos pelo estresse oxidativo. Recentemente, foi descrita e caracterizada uma nova classe de compostos formados em consequência do estresse oxidativo, designada como produtos proteicos de oxidação avançada (AOPP). O acúmulo de AOPP foi primeiramente descrito em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica submetidos à hemodiálise e, posteriormente, verificou-se que este marcador está envolvido em várias condições patológicas, incluindo diabetes, aterosclerose, obesidade e insuficiência renal aguda. Estudos prévios têm identificado AOPP como um novo marcador de dano oxidativo a proteínas e uma nova classe de mediadores inflamatórios, promovendo uma série de efeitos tanto a nível celular quanto a nível sistêmico. Embora o mecanismo de ação pelo qual os AOPP agem não está totalmente esclarecido, sabe-se que estes produtos ativam o burst respiratório em fagócitos, incluindo neutrófilos e monócitos, através da ativação de complexos enzimáticos presentes nestas células. Além disso, tem sido demonstrado que os AOPP também podem promover efeitos deletéreis (pró-oxidantes e pró-inflamatórios) a vários tipos celulares, como células renais e endoteliais, através da ativação de uma cascata de sinalização, sendo em alguns aspectos desta cascata muito semelhante aos efeitos promovidos pelos produtos finais de glicação avançada (AGEs). Neste contexto, a avaliação da atividade antioxidante e antiinflamaória de compostos em modelos in vitro envolvendo a formação de AOPP pode apresentar especial interesse. Dentre esses compostos, a N-acetilcisteína (NAC) e a Frutose- 1,6-bisfosfato (FBP) podem ser substâncias promissoras para esta finalidade. A NAC é um doador de grupo sulfidrila muito semelhante ao aminoácido cisteína e a FBP é um açúcar bifosforilado e um metabólito intermediário altamente energético da glicólise. Assim, o principal objetivo deste estudo foi determinar o efeito da FBP e da NAC, bem como o efeito sinérgico de ambas, sobre a formação de AOPP in vitro. Para isso, a albumina purificada humana foi incubada com várias concentrações de ácido hipocloroso (HOCl) (1, 2 e 4 mM) para produzir AOPP in vitro, a qual foi denominada de albumina-produtos proteicos de oxidação avançada (albumina-AOPP). Neste contexto, tanto FBP quanto NAC foram capazes de inibir a formação de AOPP de maneira concentração-dependente, sendo que FBP 20 mg/mL e NAC 1mg/mL foram responsáveis pela inibição de 64% e 85% respectivamente. Além disso, o efeito sinérgico promovido pela associação de ambos os compostos foi maisefetivo em inibir a formação de AOPP quando comparado com o efetio promovido pelos compostos isoladamente. Portanto, FBP e NAC podem ser candidatos promissores para amenizar ou neutralizar os efeitos pró-inflamatórios e pró-oxidantes desencadeados pelos AOPP.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disease, characterized by peripheral and symmetrical polyarthritis that leads to joint destruction and deformity due to erosion of cartilage and bone. This is a common disease that affects approximately 1% of the world population and is more common in women than men, however, its peak incidence occurs between the fourth and sixth decades of life. Large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified in the synovial fluid of RA patients, and such large amounts may lead to oxidative damage of hyaluronic acid, lipid, cartilage matrix and DNA. The accumulation of ROS in the cells, also serves as major intracellular signaling molecules that amplify the inflammatory response synovium proliferative. The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and also other markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in 16 patients with RA and 20 healthy controls. IMA levels were significantly higher in RA patients than healthy controls (0.495 ± 0.01 vs 0.433 ± 0.02 ABSU, P=0.038). No significant differences were observed for the other markers studied. Thus it was concluded that besides RA being related to inflammation, elevated levels of IMA in RA patients suggest that this pathology promotes increased oxidative stress.
A artrite reumatoide (AR) é uma doença inflamatória crônica, de caráter autoimune, caracterizada por poliartrite periférica e simétrica, que leva à deformidade e destruição das articulações devido à erosão da cartilagem e do osso. Esta é uma doença comum que afeta aproximadamente 1% da população mundial, sendo mais frequente em mulheres do que nos homens, no entanto, seu pico de incidência ocorre entre a quarta e sexta décadas de vida. Grandes quantidades de espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs) foram identificadas no fluido sinovial de pacientes com AR, e essa grande quantidade pode levar a dano oxidativo ao ácido hialurônico, lipídios, matriz da cartilagem e ao DNA. O acumulo de EROs nas células, também serve como importantes moléculas sinalizadoras intracelulares que amplificam a resposta inflamatória - proliferativa sinovial. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os níveis de albumina modificada pela isquemia (IMA) e outros marcadores de estresse oxidativo e inflamação em 16 pacientes com AR e 20 controles saudáveis. Os níveis de IMA foram significativamente maiores no grupo de pacientes com AR do que os controles saudáveis (0.495 ± 0.01 vs 0.433 ± 0.02 ABSU, P=0.038). Não foram observadas diferenças significativas para os outros marcadores estudados. Desta forma, foi possível concluir que além da AR estar relacionada com a inflamação, os níveis elevados de IMA em pacientes com AR, sugerem que esta patologia promova o aumento do estresse oxidativo.

The etiology of anemia is characterized by abnormal hemoglobin synthesis. Iron deficiency is characterized by microcytic and hipochromic red cells and low serum ferritin, being the most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide, responsible for iron deficiency anemia (FA). Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) is considered a clinical syndrome associated with chronic inflammation, infectious disease, neoplastic or traumatic, being the second most frequent cause of anemia. The severity of anemia correlates with the degree of pathology. Both have functional iron deficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate hematological and inflammatory, as well as the presence of oxidative stress in patients with anemia. The blood analyzer was done by the CBC, automated hematology analyzer processed, Sysmex® (Automated Hematology Analyzer). The quantitative determination of ferritin is serum was done in IMMULITE analyzer. Levels of CRP and AOPP were performed in serum by automated Cobas MIRA® (Roche Diagnostics). Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 5. We analyzed 70 patients with microcytic and hypochromic anemia. Of these, 29 (41.43%) were diagnosed as iron deficiency anemia and 41 (58.57%) with anemia of chronic disease. As a control group, we used samples from 44 patients with hematological parameters, serum ferritin, CRP and AOPP normal. The values of MCV, MCH and MCHC significantly lower in iron deficiency anemia. Ferritin levels showed that it can be considered both a measure of iron store as an inflammatory marker. In ACD there is increased production of inflammatory cytokines, which, in turn, increases the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP). The results indicate that AOPP in both groups with anemia showed increased levels of this marker, which indicates the presence of oxidative stress, probably caused by increased production of free radicals and decreases in enzyme activities of the antioxidant defense system of erythrocytes.
A etiologia das anemias caracteriza-se pela síntese anormal de hemoglobina. A deficiência de ferro é caracterizada por eritrócitos microcíticos e hipocrômicos e por ferritina sérica baixa, sendo a carência nutricional mais prevalente em todo o mundo, responsável pela Anemia Ferropriva (AF). A Anemia de Doença Crônica (ADC) é considerada uma síndrome clínica, associada à inflamação crônica, doença infecciosa, traumática ou neoplásica, sendo a segunda causa mais freqüente de anemia. Ambas apresentam deficiência funcional de ferro. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar parâmetros hematológicos e inflamatórios, bem como a presença de estresse oxidativo em pacientes com anemia. A análise hematológica foi feita através do hemograma, processado em analisador hematológico automatizado, Sysmex® (Automated Hematology Analyzer). O doseamento quantitativo da ferritina no soro foi feito em analisador IMMULITE. A dosagem de Proteína C-Reativa (PCR) e de Produtos da Oxidação Avançada de Proteínas (AOPP) foram realizadas no soro através do sistema automatizado Cobas MIRA® (Roche Diagnostics). A análise estatística foi realizada através do programa GraphPad Prism 5. Foram analisados 70 pacientes portadores de anemia microcítica e hipocrômica. Destes, 29 (41,43%) foram diagnosticados como anemia ferropriva e 41 (58,57%) com anemia de doença crônica. Como grupo controle, foram utilizadas amostras de 44 indivíduos com parâmetros hematológicos, níveis de ferritina, PCR e AOPP dentro da normalidade. Os valores de VCM, HCM e CHCM foram significativamente menores na anemia ferropriva. Os níveis de ferritina revelaram que ela pode ser considerada tanto uma medida das reservas de ferro quanto um marcador inflamatório. Na ADC há aumento da produção de citocinas inflamatórias, que, por sua vez, aumenta também a concentração de PCR. Os resultados do AOPP indicam que ambos os grupos com anemia apresentaram níveis aumentados deste marcador, o que indica a presença de estresse oxidativo, provavelmente causado por aumento na produção de radicais livres e declínio das atividades das enzimas do sistema de defesa antioxidante dos eritrócitos.

INTRODUCTION AGEs and ALEs (Advanced Glycoxidation/Lipoxidation End products) are covalently modified proteins that can act as pathogenic factors in several chronic diseases, like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These covalent adducts are formed by different mechanisms. AGEs are proteins covalently modified by reducing sugars or their oxidative degradation products, involving the Maillard reaction. ALEs are proteins modified by reactive carbonyl species (RCS) generated by lipid peroxidation. AGEs/ALEs can be the basis of many different pathologies, underlining the importance for good analytical methods for identification and characterization for the use of biomarkers, but also as a drug target. However, the identification, characterization and quantification of AGEs/ALEs remains to be very challenging due to heterogeneous precursors (sugars, lipids) leading to heterogeneous AGEs/ALEs, present in low concentrations and being very complex analytes. Various techniques to identify and characterize AGEs/ALEs have been described, making use of an isolation/enrichment step based on reactive groups, like carbonyls. However, not all AGEs/ALEs retain reactive groups and therefore can not be isolated and identified using these techniques, indicating the need for a new strategy. The strategy that has been employed in our laboratory is to use the soluble domain of the RAGE receptor, VC1, to affinity enrich AGEs. Using this approach, AGEs/ALEs will be enriched independently of the protein and type of modification. Moreover, a ligand of RAGE can be identified, which could be a potential biomarker of a disease caused by oxidative stress. RAGE is a type I cell surface receptor that is expressed in several cells, such as endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, but also dendritic cells and T-lymphocytes and is predominantly located in the lungs. The receptor has been implicated in many different pathologies with a marked oxidative base, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. One of the pathways that can be activated is the Nf-κB pathway. The Nf-κB pathway is the ideal signaling pathway to investigate the binding and activation of RAGE by AGEs or ALEs. For this purpose, a cell line was obtained with and without overexpression of RAGE. Furthermore, the cell lines were transfected with a Nf-κB reporter gene, providing us with a fast and high-throughput assay for the evaluation of a pro-inflammatory response upon stimulation with AGEs/ALEs. AIM OF THE PROJECT The identification and characterization of AGEs/ALEs has proven to be crucial in the onset and development of many pathologies. Therefore, good analytical strategies need to be developed/optimized for better understanding of the exact nature of modification, to understand the role they play in disease progression. Identified AGEs/ALEs can serve as biomarker, as well as drug targets. The VC1 technique was proven to be a promising technique to accommodate the need for enrichment of AGEs for better characterization. The first aim of the project was therefore to investigate whether also ALEs are binder of RAGE, since they share the same structural properties than AGEs, and also have been shown to activate the Nf-κB pathway, implicating a role for receptors, like RAGE. Furthermore, to gain a deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the protein-protein engagement. Since a successful enrichment strategy was developed, the second aim of this project was focused on identifying AGEs/ALEs in biological samples. The first part was focused on oxidizing healthy human plasma in-vitro using AAPH as a radical initiator, and the incubation of plasma directly with RCS, anticipating the production of AGEs/ALEs. The VC1 technique was then used to identify which AGEs/ALEs are produced. Simultaneously, other variables during the sample preparation and analysis were optimized. As explained before, AGEs/ALEs are present in very low concentrations in biological samples, hence the need for very sensitive methods and instrumentation allowing identification. Since human serum albumin (HSA) is the main protein present in plasma, around 50-60%, and has multiple nucleophilic targets, it represents the best model for characterizing AGEs/ALEs. For this reason, the focus was on extracting HSA from plasma, using the newest generation of tribrid MS for the analysis of AGEs/ALEs in plasma samples. AGEs are ligands for RAGE, meaning, they can bind and activate the receptor, inducing a signaling pathway and pro-inflammatory response. ALEs have also been shown to induce a pro-inflammatory response; however, no specific receptor has been linked to this cellular event. Using a cell line with and without RAGE, we aimed to determine whether ALEs can bind and activate the Nf-κB pathway through RAGE. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ALEs as binder of RAGE In order to investigate the interaction between RAGE and ALEs, different ALEs were produced in-vitro by incubating HSA with different concentrations of well-known lipid derived RCS and in particular: ACR, MDA and HNE. After 24, 48 and 72 h, aliquots of the incubation mixtures were withdrawn, and the reaction was stopped by removing the excess of RCS by ultrafiltration. Intact protein analysis by direct infusion MS was used to evaluate the extent of HSA modifications and demonstrated that by using a wide range of molar ratios and different time-points a quite wide array of ALEs for each tested RCS was generated. In order to characterize ALEs selectively enriched by RAGE, a VC1 pull-down assay was performed as previously described. HSA and HSA treated with MDA, ACR or HNE were assayed for binding to VC1-resins and to control resin. As expected, unmodified HSA was not retained by the VC1-resin. At increasing molar ratios and incubation time, higher amounts of albumin modified with MDA or ACR were eluted from the VC1 resin, with a predominance of the high molecular weight (HMW) species. The modified albumins were retained by the VC1-resin, but not by the control resin. ALEs in the reaction mixtures and those enriched by VC1 were analyzed by bottom-up MS in order to identify the PTMs and to localize the amino acid residues involved in the protein adduct formation. With regard to MDA, only di-hydropyridine adducts on lysines (DHPK), and N-2-pyrimidyl-ornithine adducts on arginines (NPO) were retained by VC1-domain. The n-propenal modifications of lysine (NPK), largely identified before enrichment, were not identified after the enrichment. ACR induced a set of modifications which were identified only after VC1 enrichment and in particular the N-(3-formyl-3,4-dehydro-piperidinyl) lysine (FDPK) modifications, the Michael adduct on cysteines, the double Michael adduct of lysines, the Michael adduct of histidine, the N-2-(4 hydroxy-tetrahydro-pyrimidyl) ornitine (propane-arginine, HTPO) and the Nε-(3-methylpyridinium)-lysine (MP-lysine). Most of the ALEs generated by HNE were found both before or after enrichment, with the exception of a few Michael adducts which were selectively retained by VC1 (not detected before enrichment). With a view to rationalizing the key factors influencing the RAGE binding of the monitored adducts, in silico studies were performed. They were focused on the adducts on arginine and lysine residues as formed by ACR and MDA since they are numerous, with a very broad range of affinity, thus allowing the development of clear structure-affinity relationships. RAGE-ligand interacting regions are characterized by a rich set of positively charged residues which can bind acidic regions of a protein. The mechanism identified using in silico studies, involves a basic amino acid at the center of carboxylic acids like glutamate and aspartate, which forms a set of ionic bridges. Once the basic amino acid is modified by ACR or MDA to an adduct with a neutral charge, the carboxylic acids become available to freely contact the RAGE positive residues. Identification of AGEs/ALEs in biological samples The VC1 technique has proven to be successful in enriching AGEs and ALEs, so the next step was to exploit this technique in biological samples. In order to identify proteins prone to be modified due to oxidative pathways, and possibly serve as biomarker, healthy human plasma was oxidized using the radical initiator AAPH. Different concentrations of AAPH and different timepoints were tested for the presence of protein carbonyl groups, an indicator for protein oxidation and possibly the formation of AGEs/ALEs. A time and concentration dependent formation of carbonyl groups is observed in plasma. Next, samples were analyzed using a bottom-up approach. Results obtained were showing many oxidation products, such as amino side chain oxidation, however no AGEs/ALEs were identified. Thus, a new approach was adopted, including the incubation of plasma directly with RCS, such as HNE, MDA and ACR. This resulted in the formation of AGEs/ALEs in plasma samples, however, they could not be retained by the VC1 domain. Instead of using the VC1 technique to enrich AGEs/ALEs from biological samples, other variables throughout the experimental set-up were optimized. Previously, peptides were analyzed using the Orbitrap LTQ XL, a very powerful instrument. Nonetheless, the newest generation of tribrid MS offers even higher resolution, and it increases protein coverage due to parallel isolation and detection, and faster analyzers. Moreover, we focused on AGEs/ALEs from HSA and using NaBH4 to reduce and stabilize adducts throughout the analysis. This new approach permitted us to identify many AGEs/ALEs in both healthy human plasma samples, but also AGEs/ALEs only present in heart failure samples. Glycation on lysine residues was the main modification identified, present in both healthy and heart failure plasma samples. Important is the HNE Michael adduct, specifically identified in only heart failure samples. Moreover, the importance of stabilizing adducts is underlined by the fact that the acrolein Michael adduct could only be identified after reduction with NaBH4. Development of a cellular assay to determine pro-inflammatory activity of RAGE binders Another part of this project was focused on elucidating whether AGEs/ALEs induce an inflammatory response in cells. For this purpose, a collaboration was started with the Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Centro Cardiologico Monzino. Using a rat epithelial lung cell line overexpressing RAGE, and a control cell line not expressing RAGE, it could be detected if AGEs/ALEs exhibit an effect by binding to RAGE. Moreover, both cell lines were transfected with a Nf-κB reporter gene allowing us a fast and sensitive method for determining if binding of RAGE induces a down-stream signaling pathway. This system implies a firefly luciferase gene downstream from the Nf-κB gene. When the Nf-κB pathway is activated, independently from RAGE, it produces the firefly luciferase enzyme. After adding a luciferin substrate, firefly luciferase is able to convert this substrate into another substrate with light as by-product, which can be measured by a luminometer. IL-1α was used as a positive control, since it induces a strong inflammatory response through Nf-κB. Moreover, known ligands of RAGE able to activate the Nf-κB pathway, were used to validate the cellular experiment, including HSA modified with fructose (AGE), and HMGB1. Results show that Nf-κB is already increased in untreated cells with RAGE and that AGEs induce the Nf-κB pathway independently from RAGE. Moreover, the difference between control and RAGE cells is not significantly increased in the presence of HMGB1 compared to untreated. However, the positive control seemed to induce a much stronger activity in cells with RAGE. Overall, this cellular assay is good for assessing pro-inflammatory activity, however, it is not optimized yet for distinguishing a RAGE-dependent mechanism. CONCLUSION In summary, by using an integrated MS (intact protein and bottom-up approach) and computational approach we have found that some ALEs generated from lipid peroxidation RCS are RAGE binders. We have also found the basic features that ALEs from HNE, MDA and ACR must have to be a RAGE binder: 1) the covalent adducts should greatly reduce or abolish the basicity of the target amino acid, 2) the basic amino acid should be at the center of a set of carboxylic acids which, once the residue is modified, become available to freely contact the RAGE positive residues. Next step was to use the VC1 technique to enrich AGEs/ALEs in biological samples. First, oxidized human plasma was used, however, using the Orbitrap LTQ XL, it was not sufficient to identify AGEs/ALEs. Therefore, analysis was moved to a higher resolution mass spectrometer, which allowed us to identify AGEs/ALEs in plasma samples of heart failure patients, showing the powerfulness of this new generation MS. Important was to understand whether ALEs could induce pro-inflammatory activity through RAGE, since we showed that ALEs are RAGE binders. Unfortunately, the cellular assay that was set up is efficiently in determining Nf-κB dependent pro-inflammatory activity, but not if it is RAGE dependent.

ABSTRACT As far back as the early 1900?s when it was discovered that water could be a mode of transmitting diseases, chlorine was used to disinfect water. In the 1970?s, the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) from the reaction of chlorine with natural organic matter was discovered. Since then there have been various studies on alternative disinfectants that could inactivate microorganisms and at the same time form less or no disinfection by-products. More recently the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been used to both disinfect and remove organic contaminants in drinking water. Though the use of UV irradiation has been found to be very effective in the inactivation of microorganisms, it does not provide a residual effect to maintain the water?s microbial quality in the distribution system. Due to this, a secondary disinfectant such as chlorine has to be used to achieve microbial stability, suggesting that the formation of chlorination disinfection by-products would still occur but perhaps in different quantities and with different chemical species. In this research, the use of factorial experiments and single factor experiments were used to determine the effects of pH, alkalinity and UV-fluence (dose) on the formation of three classes of disinfection by-products; haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). These disinfection by-products were measured in water samples following post-UV chlorination and the UV treatment was either UV photolysis or UV/H₂O₂. From the factorial experiment results, treatment of synthetic water with UV/H₂O₂, an advanced oxidation process (AOP), produced fewer post-UV chlorination disinfection by-products (PCDBPs) than UV photolysis. For chlorinated PCDBPs, the percentage difference between UV photolysis and UV/H₂O₂ was 55, 65 and 38% for total HAAs (HAA₉), total HANs (THANs) and total THMs (TTHMs) respectively. The percentage difference between UV photolysis and UV/H₂O₂ for brominated PCDBPs was 41 and 42% for HAA9 and TTHMs respectively. Both the use of pH and alkalinity proved to be factors that were significant in affecting the yields of the PCDBPs studied. Increases in alkalinity were found to increase the formation of PCDBPs in the treatment of synthetic water with UV/H₂O₂. Alkalinity had the opposite effect for PCDBP formed under UV photolysis conditions. Increases in pH always decreased the formation of PCDBPs. In the single factor experiments, haloacetic acid concentrations were unaffected as alkalinity was increased but dichloroacetonitrile and chloroform increased in concentration under treatment conditions of UV photolysis followed by chlorination. The UV/H₂O₂ treatment resulted in a decrease in concentration of the PCDBPs. In the pH studies, water samples were subjected only to the UV/H₂O₂ treatments and a reduction in concentration of PCDBPs occurred between pH 7 and 9.

Kohlenhydrate und Proteine gehören neben Wasser und Fetten zu den quantitativ bedeutendsten Grundbestandteilen biologischer Systeme und der Lebensmittel. Unter milden Bedingungen in lebenden Organismen oder unter thermischer Belastung bei der Lebensmittelverarbeitung können reduzierende Kohlenhydrate amin-katalysiert durch die Abspaltung von Wasser und Fragmentierungen des Kohlenstoffgerüsts abgebaut werden, wobei die noch reaktiveren 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen entstehen. Aus der Reaktion der N-α-Aminogruppe und funktioneller Gruppen der Seitenketten von Aminosäuren mit Kohlenhydraten bzw. 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen können stabile Endprodukte entstehen. In vivo können proteingebundene Maillard-Produkte (MRPs) aus der Reaktion mit Glucose (Amadori-Produkte) oder 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen (Advanced Glycation Endproducts: AGEs) entstehen. Beispielsweise ist das „N-terminale“ N-α-Fructosylderivat der β-Kette des Hämoglobins ein etablierter Parameter zur Diagnose von Diabetes mellitus (HbA1c-Wert). Diese nicht-enzymatische, posttranslationale Modifizierung von Proteinen wird allgemein als Glykierung bezeichnet und kann die Funktionalität von Proteinen beeinträchtigen. Deshalb wird untersucht, ob die Trübung der Augenlinsen, die Versteifung von Blutgefäßen oder Schädigungen von Nervenzellen durch eine erhöhte Glykierung verursacht werden. Diese Veränderungen treten im Alter und bei Stoffwechselkrankheiten wie Diabetes mellitus und Urämie auf, die durch eine erhöhte Glucosekonzentration bzw. die Anreicherung von 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen im Blut gekennzeichnet sind. Zwar gibt es Publikationen zum Vorkommen N-terminaler Amadori-Produkte an Hämoglobin und in Lebensmitteln, aber die Bildung N-terminaler AGEs wurde bisher nur in wenigen Studien untersucht. Deshalb waren die Bildung und das Vorkommen N-terminaler AGEs im physiologischen Modell, in Hämoglobin und in Backwaren Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde erstmals systematisch die Sequenzabhängigkeit der Bildung der Fructosylderivate bzw. der CM-Derivate in Konkurrenz zu den Glyoxal-2(1H)-Pyrazinonen am N-Terminus von Peptiden unter physiologischen und backtechnologischen Bedingungen untersucht. Dabei wurde nachgewiesen, dass die Variation der C-terminalen Aminosäure in Dipeptiden den Glykierungsgrad und das Produktspektrum erheblich beeinflusst. Mit dem konsequenten Nachweis der N-terminalen von Glyoxal und Methylglyoxal ableitbaren Carboxyalkylderivate und 2(1H)-Pyrazinone in humanen Hämoglobin wurde die Relevanz der N-terminalen Glykierung in vivo untermauert. Damit wird eine umfassendere Beurteilung des Dicarbonylstresses und der Glykierung insbesondere bei Urämikern und Diabetikern ermöglicht. Am Beispiel von Backwaren wurde für Lebensmittel gezeigt, dass unter trockenen Reaktionsbedingungen die 2(1H)-Pyrazinone und in wasserhaltigen Systemen die Carboxyalkylderivate bevorzugt zu erwarten sind.

Aquesta tesi demostra que el peroxinitrit produït com a conseqüència del pèptid beta-amiloide (A) contribueix l'augment de la relació A42/A40 que ocorre a la malaltia d'Alzheimer. L'A42 contribueix a l'aparició de la malaltia degut a la seva major toxicitat (quan es compara amb l'A40) que resulta d'una gran estabilitat i capacitat agregativa. A més el peroxinitrit incrementa la toxicitat d'aquest degut a què potencia la seva agregació en forma d'oligomers altament tòxics. De fet els oligomers formats de nitro-A42 presenten una major toxicitat que aquells formats de A42 . En conjunt aquest resultats senyalen l'important paper que l'A42 té en la malaltia d'Alzheimer.
Per altra banda, des de la identificació dels agregats d'A i la subseqüent formació dels cabdells neurofibrilars (NFT) com a els dos trets distintius de la malaltia, un gran esforç s'ha dedicat a establir els mecanismes moleculars que uneixen ambdós processos. Aquesta tesi demostra que el peroxinitrit format a partir de l'agregació de d'Ai la conseqüent nitrotirosinació de proteïnes, potencia l'agregació de la proteïna tau en forma de fibres. D'aquesta forma, la nitrotirosinació de la proteïna triosafosfat isomerasa (TPI) podria ser el vincle entre la toxicitat derivada del agregats d'Ai la patologia derivada de la proteïna tau. Per tant, la nitrotirosinació de la TPI podria explicar la progressió temporal que ocorre als cervells de pacients amb la malaltia d'Alzheimer des de la toxicitat induïda per l'Ai l'aparició dels NFT. Els resultats presentats en aquesta tesi podrien obrir nous aspectes en la recerca de la malaltia d'Alzheimer així com en altres malalties que cursin amb estrès oxidatiu i plegament erroni de proteïnes.
This thesis demonstrates that amyloid ß-peptide (Aß)-induced peroxynitrite contributes to the switch of the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio that occurs in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since Aβ42 is more toxic due to its higher aggregation and stability, it contributes to the trigger of the disease. In addition the aggregation of Aβ42 in form of the highly toxic oligomers is incremented by the presence of peroxynitrite. Moreover, these nitro-Aß42 oligomers are more toxic than those non-nitrated. All these results support the important role of peroxynitrite in AD etiology.
Furthermore, since the identification of Aß accumulation and the subsequent formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) as the two defining pathological hallmarks of AD, a fair amount of research on AD has been driven by the need to find the molecular mechanism linking Aß and NFT. This thesis shows the Aß-induced peroxynitrite, and the consequent nitrotyrosination of proteins, promotes tau fibrillization. Thus triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) nitrotyrosination could be the link between Aß-induced toxicity and tau pathology. Therefore, TPI nitrotyrosination may explain the temporal progression from Aß toxicity to NFT formation in AD brain. The work presented in this thesis could open a novel angle in the research of the pathophysiology of AD and could also have an impact to the research in other neurodegenerative diseases involving oxidative stress and protein misfolding.

Natural substances are built up or transformed into each other in living organisms. Depending on the substance class, their tasks are varied and range from simple metabolism or energy production via cell components and building materials of the organism to complex control tasks. Regarding their functions, one can distinguish between primary and secondary natural products. Primary natural products include all the compounds needed for supporting and growing organism. These include, in particular, fats and biopolymers of carbohydrates and proteins. Secondary natural products are usually smaller molecules than primary products. They are formed for reasons often unknown and are subdivided into the broad classes of terpenes, aromatics, and alkaloids. Thus, the demand to study a range of increasingly complex samples of plant and animal origin, trying to solve and identify their chemical entities with greater confidence, has prompted researchers to develop innovative analytical approaches. The work showed in this thesis has the aim to investigate new analytical proficiencies to enrich separation science, especially by using cutting-edge chromatographic and detection techniques, and their applicability in secondary natural products chemistry and proteomics. The first section of this dissertation has been focused on terpenophenolic and polyphenolic secondary metabolites deriving from Cannabis sativa L. and Malus pumila Miller (cultivar Annurca) respectively. In the former case, the attention was focused on a fascinating feature of cannabinoids (C21 terpenophenolic compounds specific of Cannabis): the chirality. Chiral natural products are usually generated in optically pure form; however, occasionally both enantiomers are biosynthesized. It becomes evident, therefore, the worth of determination of the enantiomeric purity (i.e., enantiomeric excess, e.e.) in naturally occurring samples. The problem faced in the stereoselective analysis of Cannabis plant extracts was that vegetable extracts are highly enriched complex mixtures and often the minor enantiomers or the racemates, are not available as reference samples. In order to overcome this limitation, our group has previously developed a method for the identification of enantiomeric couples and accurate quantification of the minor enantiomer in trace analysis of natural products, named the ‘‘inverted chirality columns approach’’ (ICCA). The method allows determining the e.e. of (–)-Δ9-THC in medicinal marijuana. The e.e. was high (99.73%), but the concentration of the (+)-enantiomer (0.135%) was not to be underestimated, and it is worth a systematic evaluation of bioactivity. In the latter case, an improved online comprehensive two‐dimensional liquid chromatography was developed. The use of a hydrophilic interaction chromatography column in the first dimension coupled to a trapping column modulation interface, and using a high retentive fully porous monodisperse reversed-phase column in the second dimension, enabled the simultaneous separation of multiple polyphenolic classes, as well as oligomeric procyanidins up to a degree of polymerization of 10. Moreover, thanks to hyphenation with an ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer, the tentative identification of 121 compounds has been possible. Thus, the presented system showed it could be a powerful analytical tool for the accurate profiling of complex polyphenolic-rich matrices. The topic of the second part of this dissertation concerns the study of analytical strategies applicable in the field of proteomics. In particular, the focus has been on the development of monolithic stationary phases to be used in capillary high performance liquid chromatography. Indeed polymethacrylate-based monolithic capillary columns, prepared by γ-radiation-induced polymerization were used, and the HPLC experimental conditions, such as nature of the organic modifiers, content of acid additive, and column temperature, were optimized for the separation of nine standard proteins with different pI, hydrophobicities and a wide range of molecular weights. The high working flow and high efficiency of these columns have allowed employing a longer column (up to 500 and 1000 mm), and thus, to reach a peak capacity value up to 1000. In order to probe the capacities of the monolithic columns, the range of molecular weights of the proteins examined was further expanded (from 3000 Da of glucagon to 150 kDa of monoclonal antibodies), showing in both cases excellent results. Precisely, monoclonal antibodies are the protagonists of the last chapter of this thesis, where a sample treatment procedure and an analytical method are developed in order to characterize the oxidized/reduced state of disulfide bridges. Indeed, upon incubation of antibodies with the reducing agent tris(2‐carboxyethyl)phosphine, three reduced isoforms of light chain can be identified at different reaction times: light chain, partially reduced light chain+2H, with one of two disulfide bridges opened in the constant or variable region, and entirely reduced light chain+4H.

碩士
國立清華大學
化學系
104
The human S100 calcium-binding protein A11 (S100A11) is a member of S100 protein family. Once S100A11 proteins bind to calcium ions at EF-hand motifs, S100A11 will change its conformation promoting interaction with target proteins. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) consists of three extracellular domains, including V domain, C1 domain and C2 domain. In this case, V domain is the target for mS100A11 binding. RAGE binds to the ligands result in cell proliferation, cell growth and several signal transduction cascades. We used NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy to demonstrate the interactions between S100A11 and V domain. The Tranilast molecule is a drug used for treating allergic disorders. We found out that V domain and Tranilast would interact with S100A11 by using 1H-15N HSQC NMR titrations. According to the results, we obtained two binary complex models from the HADDOCK program, S100A11-RAGE V domain and S100A11-Tranilast, respectively. We superimposed these two models with the same orientation of S100A11 homodimer and demonstrated that Tranilast molecule would block the binding site between S100A11 and V domain. We further utilized the WST-1 assay to indicate that Tranilast indeed can inhibit the cell proliferation which is induced by the S100A11-V domain interaction. These results will be potentially useful in the development of derivative or new anti-cancer drugs for RAGE-dependent diseases.

Oxidative protein surface mapping has gained popularity over recent years within the mass spectrometry (MS) community for gleaning information about the solvent accessibility of folded protein structures. The hydroxyl radical targets a wide breadth of reactive amino acids with a stable mass tag that withstands subsequent MS analysis. A variety of techniques exist for generating hydroxyl radicals, with most requiring sources of radiation or caustic oxidizing reagents. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the novel use of electrochemistry for accomplishing a comparable probe of protein structure with a more accessible tool. Two different working electrode types were tested across a range of experimental parameters, including voltage, flow rate, and solution electrolyte composition, to affect the extent of oxidation on intact proteins. Results indicated that the boron-doped diamond electrode was most valuable for protein research due to its capacity to produce hydroxyl radicals and its relatively low adsorption profile. Oxidized proteins were collected from the electrochemical cell for intact protein and peptide level MS analysis. Peptide mass spectral data were searched by two different “hybrid” software packages that incorporate de novo elements into a database search to accommodate the challenge of searching for more than forty possible oxidative mass shifts. Preliminary data showed reasonable agreement between amino acid solvent accessibility and the resulting oxidation status of these residues in aqueous solution, while more buried residues were found to be oxidized in “non-native” solution. Later experiments utilized higher flow rates to reduce protein residence time inside the electrochemical flow chamber, along with a different cell activation approach to improve controllability of the intact protein oxidation yield. A multidimensional chromatographic strategy was employed to improve dynamic range for detecting oxidation of lower reactivity residues. Along with increased levels of oxidation around “reactive hotspot” sites, the enhanced sensitivity of these measurements uncovered a significant level of background oxidation in control proteins. While further work is needed to determine the full utility that BDD electrochemistry can lend protein structural studies, the experimental refinements reported here pave the way for improvements that could lead to a high-throughput structural pipeline complementary to predictive modeling efforts.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are major public health problems. It is important to be able to identify those at high risk of adverse outcome, CKD progression and associated cardiovascular disease. The aim of the thesis was to study novel promising biomarkers, their relationship to kidney function, chronic inflammation and/or cardiovascular risk - placental growth factor (PlGF), pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), calcium binding protein S100A12 or extracellular newly identified RAGE binding protein (EN-RAGE), and high mobility group box protein-1 (HMGB-1) in patients with renal diseases including CKD, haemodialysis (HD), AKI patients, and healthy controls for comparison. First study revealed that PlGF is elevated in patients with decreased renal function. Second study demonstrated the association of MMP-2 and PAPP-A with proteinuria in patients with CKD. Moreover, serum MMP-2, MMP-9 and PAPP-A levels significantly differed in patients with various nephropathies. EN-RAGE levels are not elevated in patients with CKD, but are related to inflammatory status. PAPP-A, EN-RAGE and HMGB-1 levels are significantly elevated, but sRAGE and PlGF...

Kohlenhydrate und Proteine gehören neben Wasser und Fetten zu den quantitativ bedeutendsten Grundbestandteilen biologischer Systeme und der Lebensmittel. Unter milden Bedingungen in lebenden Organismen oder unter thermischer Belastung bei der Lebensmittelverarbeitung können reduzierende Kohlenhydrate amin-katalysiert durch die Abspaltung von Wasser und Fragmentierungen des Kohlenstoffgerüsts abgebaut werden, wobei die noch reaktiveren 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen entstehen. Aus der Reaktion der N-α-Aminogruppe und funktioneller Gruppen der Seitenketten von Aminosäuren mit Kohlenhydraten bzw. 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen können stabile Endprodukte entstehen. In vivo können proteingebundene Maillard-Produkte (MRPs) aus der Reaktion mit Glucose (Amadori-Produkte) oder 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen (Advanced Glycation Endproducts: AGEs) entstehen. Beispielsweise ist das „N-terminale“ N-α-Fructosylderivat der β-Kette des Hämoglobins ein etablierter Parameter zur Diagnose von Diabetes mellitus (HbA1c-Wert). Diese nicht-enzymatische, posttranslationale Modifizierung von Proteinen wird allgemein als Glykierung bezeichnet und kann die Funktionalität von Proteinen beeinträchtigen. Deshalb wird untersucht, ob die Trübung der Augenlinsen, die Versteifung von Blutgefäßen oder Schädigungen von Nervenzellen durch eine erhöhte Glykierung verursacht werden. Diese Veränderungen treten im Alter und bei Stoffwechselkrankheiten wie Diabetes mellitus und Urämie auf, die durch eine erhöhte Glucosekonzentration bzw. die Anreicherung von 1,2-Dicarbonylverbindungen im Blut gekennzeichnet sind. Zwar gibt es Publikationen zum Vorkommen N-terminaler Amadori-Produkte an Hämoglobin und in Lebensmitteln, aber die Bildung N-terminaler AGEs wurde bisher nur in wenigen Studien untersucht. Deshalb waren die Bildung und das Vorkommen N-terminaler AGEs im physiologischen Modell, in Hämoglobin und in Backwaren Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde erstmals systematisch die Sequenzabhängigkeit der Bildung der Fructosylderivate bzw. der CM-Derivate in Konkurrenz zu den Glyoxal-2(1H)-Pyrazinonen am N-Terminus von Peptiden unter physiologischen und backtechnologischen Bedingungen untersucht. Dabei wurde nachgewiesen, dass die Variation der C-terminalen Aminosäure in Dipeptiden den Glykierungsgrad und das Produktspektrum erheblich beeinflusst. Mit dem konsequenten Nachweis der N-terminalen von Glyoxal und Methylglyoxal ableitbaren Carboxyalkylderivate und 2(1H)-Pyrazinone in humanen Hämoglobin wurde die Relevanz der N-terminalen Glykierung in vivo untermauert. Damit wird eine umfassendere Beurteilung des Dicarbonylstresses und der Glykierung insbesondere bei Urämikern und Diabetikern ermöglicht. Am Beispiel von Backwaren wurde für Lebensmittel gezeigt, dass unter trockenen Reaktionsbedingungen die 2(1H)-Pyrazinone und in wasserhaltigen Systemen die Carboxyalkylderivate bevorzugt zu erwarten sind.