Current Search:  Natural products--Synthesis (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 2 of 2)
Isolation and biosynthesis of terpenes in Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae and Leptogorgia minimata
Title
Isolation and biosynthesis of terpenes in Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae and Leptogorgia minimata.
Creator
von Saalfeld, Silke., Florida Atlantic University, Kerr, Russell G.
Abstract/Description
The marine environment has proven to be an extremely rich source of novel natural products with activities in a variety of biological assays. The field of marine natural products chemistry has enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past 40 years and currently there are marine-derived metabolites in clinical trials for cancer, analgesia, allergy and cognitive diseases. Even with this tremendous development, it is clear that chemists and pharmacologists are only beginning to scratch the...
Show moreThe marine environment has proven to be an extremely rich source of novel natural products with activities in a variety of biological assays. The field of marine natural products chemistry has enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past 40 years and currently there are marine-derived metabolites in clinical trials for cancer, analgesia, allergy and cognitive diseases. Even with this tremendous development, it is clear that chemists and pharmacologists are only beginning to scratch the surface of the biomedical potential of marine organisms. One problem with this source of new pharmaceuticals is that the supply of such compounds can be problematic. The thesis describes projects directed at fundamental biosynthetic questions regarding terpenes from marine corals. In a general sense, these projects are directed as addressing the supply issue identified above. One project examined the origin of terpene building blocks in the coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae. A second project focused on the characterization of terpenes from Leptogorgia minimata. Here, a new cembranoid diterpene was isolated. Experiments were also conducted to identify a microbial source of terpene biosynthesis in this system. Data strongly supported a bacterial origin of these compounds.
Show less
Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13325
Subject Headings
Natural products--Synthesis, Marine pharmacology, Aquaculture, Terpenes, Marine chemical ecology
Format
Document (PDF)
Isolation, Analysis and Origin of Bioactive Diterpenes in Pseudopterogorgia acerosa.
Title
Isolation, Analysis and Origin of Bioactive Diterpenes in Pseudopterogorgia acerosa.
Creator
Kate, Abhijeet S., Florida Atlantic University, Kerr, Russell G., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Abstract/Description
Nature has served human kind m many ways, one of which is a source of medicines. Natural products from marine sources represent a relatively new area of research and have shown tremendous potential as a source of new chemical entities in drug discovery. Caribbean gorgomans corals of the genus Pseudopterogorgia have been shown to produce a variety of chemically interesting and biologically significant secondary metabolites. ln this dissertation, the Caribbean coral Pseudopterogorgia acerosa...
Show moreNature has served human kind m many ways, one of which is a source of medicines. Natural products from marine sources represent a relatively new area of research and have shown tremendous potential as a source of new chemical entities in drug discovery. Caribbean gorgomans corals of the genus Pseudopterogorgia have been shown to produce a variety of chemically interesting and biologically significant secondary metabolites. ln this dissertation, the Caribbean coral Pseudopterogorgia acerosa has been investigated for the presence of novel diterpenes and these compounds were found to belong to three different classes: pseudopteranoids, bis-pseudopteranoids and lipidyl pseudopteranes. Nine of these were new compounds. The structural elucidation of these compounds was performed using spectroscopic means such as l D and 20 NMR, and mass spectroscopy. There is growing evidence that secondary metabolites isolated from manne invertebrates may actually be produced by a bacterial symbiont. The research studies in our laboratory regarding the source of diterpenes in the selected gorgonian corals suggested a bacterial origin. The hypothesis that coral associated bacteria are the source of diterpenes in the coral P. acerosa, was evaluated using the series of experiments and evidence supported this biosynthetic origin. A study comparing the "gall" tissue and healthy coral tissue in terms of diterpene content and culturable bacterial communities showed that different groups of diterpenes were concentrated in different coral tissue types. It was also observed that the bacterial populations associated with the "gall" and healthy tissues were considerably different. Furthermore, observed specificity in antimicrobial activity of certain groups of compounds against bacteria isolated from the same coral suggested the ecological role of these compounds. This work with "gall" tissue supports the hypothesis that diseased coral tissue represents an excellent source of bioactive natural products for drug discovery. Additionaly, a simple LC-MS method was developed for the analysis of anticancer drug carmustine in plasma.
Show less
Date Issued
2008
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000864
Subject Headings
Marine pharmacology, Coral reef ecology--Caribbean Area, Natural products--Synthesis
Format
Document (PDF)