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Date of Award

Spring 2004

Document Type

Restricted Thesis: Campus only access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Dr. Stuart Clough

Abstract

Interesting biological activity has been ascribed to many natural products containing multi-substituted pyrrole systems and pyrazole systems. The pyrrole ring system is common to biologically active compounds such as rigidin, polycitone A, Lukianol A, Lammelarin O dimethy ether, Atorvastatin and Fluvastatin. (Gupton 199, Holub 2004).

Current research in the Gupton lab has been devoted to synthesis of the target molecule Rigidin, Rigidin has been isolated from Tunicates of the Eudistoma genus and the Cystodytes genus. The compound's activity as a calmodulin antagonist sparked interest in its medicinal properties. Rigidin was found to inhibit brain phosphodiesterase through interference in the calcium/calmdulin signalpathway. (Kobayashi 1990) Currently six variations of the Rigidin molecule have been isolated and the varying biological activity displayed by different analogues suggests that ability develop analogues of rigidin structure may provide varying degrees of toxicity for various targets. The compounds in figure 1 are rigidin structures isolated from marine tunicates; compounds 4, 5, and 6 have been shown to inhibit the growth of leukemia tumors by as much as 40%. (Davis 2003).

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