Synthesis and analytics of HHDPs

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert
• Subject Area: Biological and Biomimetic Chemistry ; Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: from 2012 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 198096916

Heme degradation products are responsible for various physiological activities. However, we know little about the transformation mechanisms and activities of these metabolites. Our knowledge is limited to early steps in heme degradation towards bilirubin and biliverdin as well as to the characterized bilirubin oxidation end products (BOXes). This project aims to clarify the mechanisms of heme degradation, to provide and characterize intermediates and end products for activity tests, and to follow the degradation processes in vitro and in vivo. We therefore will combine analytical and synthetic chemical tools to explore the pathways of heme degradation beyond the hitherto identified metabolites. Reactive intermediates will be trapped and preparative HPLC will serve as a tool for the purification of these intermediates for further structure elucidation. In order to verify structure and reactivity and to provide material for activity testing, the synthesis of selected metabolites will be performed. A special focus will be the fate of the compounds in biological tissues.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1738: Heme and Heme Degradation Products (HHDP): Alternative Functions and Signalling Mechanisms
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Matthias Westerhausen