b'Modification of Sunless Tanning Solution for UV Protection PurposesJamie L. GradySponsor: Dr. Linda de la Garza, Department of ChemistryOne of the largest aspects of the cosmetics industry is sunless tanning products which provide a tan without harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun or sunless tanning booths. Unfortunately, these topical agents do not provide additional sun protection. In order to improve the sun protection factor of an existing commercial sunless tanning solution, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) were used since they are common additives of cosmetic products. To test this idea, a model protein system was used by depositing a film of a gelatin, composed of peptides and proteins, onto a transparent glass slide. This model mimics the Maillard reaction, a browning effect, that occurs in the proteins within human skin. To evaluate the slow color development of the Maillard reaction absorbance measurements were taken at different time intervals. Cytochrome c-Based Detection of SuperoxideAbbey N. WarrenSponsor: Dr. Yakov Woldman, Department of ChemistrySuperoxide (O2-) is a free radical produced by the one-electron reduction of oxygen. It is produced as a side product of the reduction of oxygen to water, but also by immune cells as a chemical weapon to fight infection. There is evidence linking superoxide production to neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Among the methods of superoxide quantitation, the most reliable is by the reduction of cytochrome c. However, this method suffers from low sensitivity. To address this issue, we suggest attaching a fluorescent label, with fluorescence changing depending on the redox state of cytochrome c. As fluorescence is a much more sensitive spectroscopic method compared to absorbance measurements, we assume that the modified cytochrome c will afford better sensitivity in the detection of superoxide. A few mutations were introduced into cytochrome c; mutated as well as wild-type molecules will undergo spectroscopic studies in order to choose the best probe for superoxide detection. Then, fluorescently modified cytochrome c will be used in model and cellular superoxide-generating systems and the sensitivity of this approach will be compared with the absorbance measurements.33'