The Effects of Nanodiamonds on Tiopronin
Department
Chemistry
Major
Chemistry
Research Advisor
Ercal, Nuran
Advisor's Department
Chemistry
Funding Source
OURE Fellows
Abstract
In 2019, 65.2 million people suffered from cataracts. Cataracts form when reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage proteins in the lens of the eye, resulting in loss of transparency. High levels of endogenous antioxidants remove most ROS, but the abundance of these antioxidants decreases with age. It is hypothesized that antioxidant drugs may be able to prevent or slow cataract formation when endogenous antioxidant defenses are insufficient. Tiopronin (MPG), an FDA-approved antioxidant drug, has demonstrated some anti-cataract effects in live-cell and animal models. Its effectiveness may be limited by its uptake in the lens, but it could be improved with the use of nanodiamonds (NDs). To investigate how NDs effect MPG’s antioxidant activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging kinetics and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) were analyzed for solutions of MPG and suspensions of MPG adsorbed to ND. Methodology was also developed to overcome challenges due to the turbid suspensions of ND. The information gathered from this study will aid in the optimization of ND as an ocular drug delivery platform.
Biography
Kaysi M. Lee is a graduating senior of chemistry at Missouri S&T. She began her research career as a freshman in the 2018 FYRE program of the College of Arts, Sciences and Business (CASB). Her work included several poster presentations at regional and international conferences as well as a talk at the Missouri Academy of Science annual meeting and the Southeastern Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC 2019). Her passion for research was featured in October/November 2018 on the S&T web portal and portrayed in the newspaper St. Louis American. Kaysi now works as an OURE Fellows for Dr. Ercal.
Presentation Type
OURE Fellows Final Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Presentation Date
29 Apr 2017, 1:30 pm - 1:45 pm
The Effects of Nanodiamonds on Tiopronin
In 2019, 65.2 million people suffered from cataracts. Cataracts form when reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage proteins in the lens of the eye, resulting in loss of transparency. High levels of endogenous antioxidants remove most ROS, but the abundance of these antioxidants decreases with age. It is hypothesized that antioxidant drugs may be able to prevent or slow cataract formation when endogenous antioxidant defenses are insufficient. Tiopronin (MPG), an FDA-approved antioxidant drug, has demonstrated some anti-cataract effects in live-cell and animal models. Its effectiveness may be limited by its uptake in the lens, but it could be improved with the use of nanodiamonds (NDs). To investigate how NDs effect MPG’s antioxidant activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging kinetics and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) were analyzed for solutions of MPG and suspensions of MPG adsorbed to ND. Methodology was also developed to overcome challenges due to the turbid suspensions of ND. The information gathered from this study will aid in the optimization of ND as an ocular drug delivery platform.
