Miss Grace Broadberry

Research project: Synthesis of novel aprotic peroxides and their photochemical reactions for the management of oxidative stress in skin

Abstract

Antioxidants such as tocopherol, ascorbic acid and resveratrol are essential compounds in the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Photocatalytic antioxidants such as tocopherol, produce a stable benign organic radical, a proton and an electron when exposed to UV. This free electron has the potential to induce radical propagation reactions which can lead to skin inflammation.

The stable organic radical produced is what gives tocopherol its effective antioxidant properties. It would therefore be very beneficial to create antioxidant compounds which, when exposed to UV, produce two stable benign organic radicals and no free electron. This would prevent the propagation of ROS and skin inflammation.

This project is focused on producing a library of phenoxyl peroxide based dimers and the study of their photochemical reactions. We will investigate their resulting antioxidant properties and conduct toxicology studies. 

Biography

As a graduate in BSc Chemistry (Hons) from Kingston University, I conducted my final year research project in the specialised techniques of Pure Shift NMR Spectroscopy (PSYCHE) and Diffusion Ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) and was able to produce some novel and publishable new methods for the analysis of complex mixtures.

Areas of research interest

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Antioxidant Synthesis
  • Phenoxyl Peroxide Radicals

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, Kingston University London

Funding or awards received

  • Full Research Degree Studentship at Kingston University funded by GlaxoSmithKline
  • Award for the highest departmental undergraduate research project

Publications

Le Gresley, A.; Broadberry, G.; Robertson, C.; Peron, J. M. R.; Robinson, J.; O'Leary, S. Application of Pure Shift and Diffusion NMR for the Characterisation of Crude and Processed Pyrolysis Oil. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 2019, 140 (September 2018), 281–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2019.04.005.

Dahabra, L.; Broadberry, G.; Le Gresley, A.; Najlah, M.; Khoder, M. Sunscreens Containing Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes for Enhanced Efficiency: A Strategy for Skin Cancer Prevention. Molecules 2021, 26 (6), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26061698.