Browsing by Author "De Jager, Josephus Jacobus "

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    1-[(1-Methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)meth­yl]-1H-indole-5-carbo­nitrile
    (International Union of Crystallography, 2012-11) De Jager, Josephus Jacobus ; Smith, Vincent J.
    ABSTRACT: In the title compound, C14H12N4, the dihedral angle between the indole ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.010 Å) and the imidazole ring is 77.70 (6)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. One set of hydrogen bonds forms an undulating chain running parallel to the b-axis direction, while the other undulating chain is parallel to the c-axis direction. In combination, (100) sheets result.
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    Design and synthesis of novel antimalarial agents
    (Stellenbosh : Stellenbosh University, 2014-12) De Jager, Josephus Jacobus; Pelly, Stephen C.; Otterlo, Willem A. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Malaria is a pestilent disease associated with massive socioeconomic burden of sub-Saharan Africa. This disease is caused by a blood infection of the single cellular parasite of the Plasmodium genus. Two enzymes of this parasite have been identified to be essential to the survival of this parasite, notably Spermidine Synthase and Protein Farnesyltransferase. The goal of this dissertation was to search for and synthesise novel inhibitors of these two enzymes with a strong focus towards understanding their structure/activity relationships. To achieve the first goal, molecular modelling was employed. An in-depth discussion is presented to describe the underlying principles relevant to this branch of computational chemistry. This ensures that the experiments using these methods are set-up correctly and results are interpreted within context. Two virtual high-throughput screens were then performed using prepared crystallographic structures of Spermidine Synthase. The first was pharmacophore based method and the second based on LibDock. The database used, containing 7.1 million compounds, was filtered using a custom developed tool prior to screening. Finally, CDOCKER was then used to investigate the activity of potential hit compounds. Spermidine Synthase has a natural affinity for adenosine and this trait was exploited by derivatising analogues to synthesise potential inhibitors of the enzyme. This was to be achieved by the incorporation of both electrophilic and nucleophilic moieties at selected positions, including the use of a high yielding Mitsunobu reaction. A number of additional residues were then synthesised and joined to the adenosine which were proposed to increase the active site occupancy and increase affinity to the enzyme. For the second enzyme targeted for inhibition, Protein Farnesyltransferase, indole was used as a starting scaffold to synthesise potential hits de novo. It was aimed to derivatise the indole at the Nʹ and 3ʹ positions. The crystal structure of one of the intermediates was published. Furthermore, a synthetic sequence which culminated in a palladium catalysed Suzuki coupling was performed.