Date of Award

4-1-1991

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Chemistry

Abstract

The overall objective of chapter one of this investigation was to determine if glucocorticoids were the endogenous modulators of inflammation. The two specific objectives of this investigation were, (a) to determine if there was a glucocorticoid response during the inhibitory phase of inflammation, and (b) to determine what would be the effects on inflammation if the glucocorticoid response were inhibited.The objectives were carried out using carrageenan-induced rat paw edema as a model for inflammation. The amount of edema formation was determined to be dependent upon the carrageenan dosage. The investigation demonstrated that the injection of carrageenan into the hind paw of the rat induced two plasma corticosterone responses. The first response reached a maximum within 30 minutes after the carrageenan injection and was attributed to the stress of injection. The second corticosterone response reached a maximum within 7 hours after the carrageenan injection and was determined to be due solely to the carrageenan. The second response corresponded in time with the inhibitory phase of the carrageenan-induced edema.Hypophysectomized rats were used to study the affects of low levels of glucocorticoids on the inflammatory response. The study demonstrated that the injection of carrageenan into the hind paw of the rat resulted in a more intense and prolonged inflammation in hypophysectomized rats than in controls.The overall objective of chapter two of this investigation was to understand the greater reactivity of the meta-substituted aramid polymers over that of the para-substituted isomers with UV light. Two model compounds were studied representing either para- or meta-substituted aramid polymers, N,N$\sp\prime$-diacetyl-p-phenylenediamine (1) and N,N$\sp\prime$-diacetyl-m-phenylenediamine (2). It was determined that the meta-isomer 2 was more reactive to UV light than the para-isomer 1. The greater sensitivity to UV light of the meta-substituted aramid polymer over the para isomer was found to be due to the inherent reactivity of the monomer units and not to a property unique to the polymer chain. The products of irradiation of anilides 1 and 2 were isolated and determined to be the result of the photo-Fries reaction.

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