Project Title: Determining the contribution of ROS production in the anticancer property of ferrocenyl chalcone compounds
Research overview. Fundamental to this laboratory is ligand fine-tuning of Fe(II) redox chemistry, particularly by biologically active ligands. Chalcones have been reported to have a broad range of biological activities such as antimalarial, antibacterial, antitumor, antihyperglycemic, and anti-HIV. An enhancement of the antitumor activity has been observed when one of the aromatic rings is replaced with ferrocene, however, the mechanism of action is still uncertain. This lab explores and chemically modifies the structure of ferrocenyl chalcone-based scaffolds to study their anticancer activities. This study will yield information regarding the potential of the Fe(II) centers to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and how this activity works in synergism with the activity of the chalcone moiety. Among the proposed modifications to the ferrocenyl chalcone-based scaffolds is the incorporation of heterocyclic groups. This can be afforded by either introducing a heterocyclic aromatic substituent or functionalizing the a,b-unsaturated system. Another modification is to form ammonium or pyridinium salts to increase water solubility. All compounds are traditionally characterized by infrared, proton (1H) and carbon (13C)-NMR spectroscopies, ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, cyclic voltammetry, and mass spectrometry.
Skills/Techniques: PR-CLIMB participants will work on the synthesis and purification of ferrocenyl chalcone compounds and use a variety of spectroscopic techniques to characterize the structure and solution stability of these compounds. They will also perform cell-based assay to study their cytotoxic mechanism of action.
Webpage: For more information about the lab research, please visit the lab website (https://www.ingridmontes.org/)
Skills/Techniques: PR-CLIMB participants will work on the synthesis and purification of ferrocenyl chalcone compounds and use a variety of spectroscopic techniques to characterize the structure and solution stability of these compounds. They will also perform cell-based assay to study their cytotoxic mechanism of action.
Webpage: For more information about the lab research, please visit the lab website (https://www.ingridmontes.org/)