Sarah Lang BIOC430 S17

Chemistry/Biochemistry Research 430

Spring 2017

Sarah Lang

Senior Biochemistry Major

Research Times

Tues: 9 am-10:30 am Wed: 2 pm-4:30 pm

section 01 = 0.25 credit = 4 hours per week.

Proposed Research Project

General Information

Advisor: Brad Sturgeon

Other research student collaborators:

Other Research Collaborators:

Proposal

The purpose of this project is to understand the enzymatic oxidation of biophenols--specifically, of eugenol and methyleugenol. Both eugenol and methyleugenol are commonly found in flavoring components of foods, and recently, connections have been made between methyleugenol (and to a lesser extent, eugenol) and increased incidence of malignant tumors at various tissue sites (1). Furthermore, studies have shown that both eugenol and methyleugenol undergo peroxidative metabolism to form free radicals, but little is known about the individual products of this process. The goal of this research project is to identify, collect, and separate the products formed during the oxidation of eugenol and methyleugenol, in order to eventually gain a better understanding of their biological activity.

Instruments to be used

HPLC, Flash Chromotography, NMR

References (2 minimum)

1. Sipe, H. J., Lardinois, O. M., & Mason, R. P. (2014). Free Radical Metabolism of Methyleugenol and Related Compounds. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 27(4), 483–489. http://doi.org/10.1021/tx400256b

2. Mastelić, J., Jerković, I., Blažević, I., Poljak-Blaži, M., Borović, S., Ivančić-Baće, I., … Müller, N. (2008). Comparative Study on the Antioxidant and Biological Activities of Carvacrol, Thymol, and Eugenol Derivatives. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 56(11), 3989–3996. http://doi.org/10.1021/jf073272v

Research pledge

I, Sarah Lang, have read the Chem/Bioc 430 course syllabus and understand the general structure and expectations of the research program. The above material was prepared after consultation, and in conjunction with my research advisor.