Faculty & Student Publications

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Browsing Faculty & Student Publications by Author "Ashburn, Bradley O."

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    Partition Coefficient of the Anti-Obesity Health Supplement Raspberry Ketone
    (University of Hawaiʻi — West Oʻahu, 2020-04) Morimoto, Pashyn; Ashburn, Bradley O.; Romine, Rebecca

    Health supplements are widely used among the general public for a variety of applications, however due to not being regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, there is typically scant independent scientific studies on their physicochemical properties. One such supplement that has shown promise for enhanced weight loss is 4-phenyl-2-butanone, commonly referred to as raspberry ketone(1). This study experimentally determined the partition coefficient of raspberry ketone.

    The partition coefficient is a physicochemical trait that indicates whether a substance will be absorbed by plants, animals, humans, or other living tissue; or if it will be carried away and disseminated in water. These values are important to medicinal chemists in determining how compounds may be distributed in the human body(2).

    A standard curve of concentration versus absorbance was created to measure the partitioning of raspberry ketone in a mixture of water and 1-octanol, which was determined to be 0.74. This value indicates a hydrophobic preference. Experimental details and discussion of the results are provided herein.

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    Synthesis of Potential Agents to Combat the Neglected Tropical Disease Leishmaniasis
    (University of Hawaiʻi — West Oʻahu, 2020-11) Bailey, Nicholas M.; Atanes, Alaina; Ashburn, Bradley O.
    Leishmaniasis is an ongoing endemic that affects the lives of millions in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Mediterranean. Leishmaniasis is notoriously labeled as both the second-largest parasitic killer and one of thirteen neglected tropical diseases. It is estimated that there are 70,000 deaths and 1.3 million new cases per year. Leishmaniasis is engendered by intracellular parasites that belong to the genus leishmania. These parasites are transmitted via the bite of a group of sand flies. Once infected, Leishmaniasis is manifested in one of three ways: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. Symptoms are dependent on the specific form of leishmaniasis contracted. Symptoms can vary from skin lesions, cutaneous/mucosal ulcers, spleno- and hepatomegaly, and organ failure. Currently, there remains no vaccine and contemporary treatments have adverse side effects or are too expensive. Considering that many of these endemic countries are impoverished, it is vital that an innocuous and affordable alternative is found. Recent literature has ascertained the antiparasitic properties of the classification of molecules known as chalcones. This research seeks to synthesize various chalcones for future analysis for anti-leishmanial properties.