The main activities of the Laboratory are focused on the study of biochemical and photochemical processes occurring in biological tissues using proteomics, metabolomics and photochemistry techniques..
At present moment there are two main directions of our research:
1. Study of proteomic and metabolomic content of tissues of human and laboratory animals.
The development of pathological processes is reflected in metabolic changes and manifests itself in decreased levels of some metabolites and/or increased levels of others. The main activities of the Laboratory are aimed at studying molecular mechanisms of development of socially significant diseases, including ophthalmologic (cataract, keratoconus), oncologic (breast cancer), metabolic (occurrence of diabetic ulcers in type II diabetes mellitus), neurodegenerative (Alzheimer's disease) and others. The results obtained in the course of the work contribute to the development of new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these diseases. Changes in protein and metabolomic compositions of tissues can be established using proteomics and metabolomics methods based on chromatographic, electrophoresis, mass spectrometric and NMR analyses of tissues from different organisms depending on the task at hand. The aim of the research is to try to establish the mechanisms of disease development, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of medical drugs for their prevention and treatment.
2. Investigation of photophysics and photochemistry of biologically important metabolites.
Ultraviolet radiation of UV-A (320-400 nm) and UV-B (280-320 nm) ranges, reaching the surface of our planet, can cause photochemical reactions leading to tissue damage and, as a consequence, to disorders in the functioning of various organs. The most interesting scientific results were obtained by us when studying the mechanisms of cataract development. It was shown that the imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress, has a particularly important influence on biochemical processes. Oxidative stress causes post-translational modifications of proteins, as well as changes in the protein composition of tissues. The main objects of study in our work are biological molecules such as aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine) that absorb in the UV-A range, and molecular UV filters of the lens of the eye (kynurenine and its derivatives) that delay UV-A and UV-B radiation from reaching the retina. The latter compounds convert photon energy into thermal energy with high efficiency, but are thermally unstable. Decay products, according to the results of our work, demonstrate much higher photochemical activity and may participate in the development of oxidative stress conditions in the lens of the eye - the main factor of cataract development.
Currently the group is involved in the implementation of several projects, supported by Russian Scientific Foundation (RSF), Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and the research council of President of Russian Federation.
