Characterization of gangliosides from brain tissue

CHED 1287

Mallory Elisabeth Bugel, bugelme@westminster.edu1, Helen M Boylan, boylanhm@westminster.edu1, and Pravat K Mandal2. (1) Department of Chemistry, Westminster College, 319 South Market Street, New Wilmington, PA 16172, (2) University of Pittsburgh
Gangliosides are sphingolipid molecules present in neuronal membranes and constitute 6% of the lipid weight of the brain. It has been documented in several studies the possible role of gangliosides in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. There are several main types (asialo GM1, GM1, GD1, GQ1, GT1) present in the brain, and hypotheses suggest that these gangliosides play important role in Alzheimer's disease, however, molecular details are not determined yet. The main goal of the project is based on the extraction, separation, and subsequent analysis of gangliosides in brain tissue. The proposed methodology will begin with the investigation of gangliosides in rat brain tissue and subsequently used in deceased Alzheimer's patient brain tissue.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Medicinal Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008