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Biographical
Sketch | Education
| Patents
| Awards
and Honors
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Prokai started his academic career as an Assistant
Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics and the Center
for Drug Discovery of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida in 1991. During
his tenure there, he rose in rank to
Professor in the Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, held an Affiliate Professorship at
the Department of Chemistry, was a Joint Professor of the
Department of Anesthesiology, Scientific Advisor of the
Biotechnology Program, and Member of the McKnight Brain
Institute. Dr. Prokai was selected as the first Robert
A. Welch Professor of Chemistry at the Department of
Molecular Biology & Immunology of the University of North
Texas Health Science Center in 2005. He is an Adjunct
Professor at the Department of
Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, at the Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, and at the Department of Chemistry of the
Texas Christian University. Dr.
Prokai has maintained an actively funded research program
supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is
recognized nationally and internationally for his work on
discovery, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry of central
nervous system agents, as well as on neuropeptides, proteomics
and mass spectrometry. Dr. Prokai has been an invited speaker
on numerous national and international scientific meetings,
received a Pro Renovanda Cultura Hungariae Visiting
Professorship at the Department of Medical Chemistry,
University of Szeged (Hungary) in 2002, and has been an active
collaborator with pharmaceutical and chemical companies. He
currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Current Medicine
Chemistry, Central
Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, Current Drug
Delivery, Medicinal
Chemistry Reviews-Online and Medicinal
Chemistry.
Research Interests
Dr. Prokai’s current
research focuses on
(1) Understanding the mechanisms by
which estrogens erect a "chemical shield" to protect neurons
against reactive species and exploring novel therapies to
treat neurodegenerative and ophthalmic diseases from the
findings. Dr. Prokai's laboratory has made several important
discoveries recently, including a
novel antioxidant cycle involving a unique class of compounds
called para-quinols as key products.
(2)
Development and use of proteomics in aging research, studying
neurodegenerative diseases and in biodefense.
(3)
Discovering new therapeutic agents based on neuropeptides and
peptidomimetics as lead molecules.
These multidisciplinary
projects rely on his broad technical expertise in
state-of-the-art methods in bioorganic, medicinal and
bioanalytical chemistry, and on excellent facilities
featuring three mass spectrometers.
Education
B.Sc. 1978 Chemical Engineering; Summa Cum Laude, University
of Veszprem, Veszprem,Hungary
M.Sc. 1980 Chemical
Engineering (Radiochemical Technology); Summa Cum Laude, University
of Veszprem, Veszprem, Hungary
Ph.D. 1983
Radiochemistry; Summa Cum Laude, University
of Veszprem, Veszprem, Hungary
Postdoctoral training in
Medicinal Chemistry, 1987 to 1989; Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida,
Gainesville,
FL
Publications
Monograph
Prokai
L. Field
Desorption Mass Spectrometry, Practical Spectroscopy Monograph
Series, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1990, pp. 304.
Book Edited
Prokai L Prokai-Tatrai K.
Peptide
Transport and Delivery Into the Central Nervous System,
Progress in Drug Research, Vol. 61, Birkhäuser, Basel,
2003, pp. 245.
Selected Book Chapters (Since
2003)
Prokai L. Application of mass spectrometry in brain
research: neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and brain
proteins, in Medical
Applications of Mass Spectrometry (K. Vekey, A. Telekes,
A. Vertes, Eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2008, 407-424.
Prokai-Tatrai K Prokai L. The impact of metabolism on the
safety of estrogen therapy, in the Annals
of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1052 (M. Singh,
Ed.), New York Academy of Sciences, New York, NY, 2005,
243-257.
Prokai L Stevens SM Simonsick W. Size-exclusion
chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and tandem mass
spectrometry for oligomer analysis, in Multiple
Detection in Size-Exclusion Chromatography (A.M. Striegel,
Ed.), ACS Books, Washington, DC, 2005, 196-207.
Prokai-Tatrai K Prokai L. Modifying peptide properties by
prodrug design for enhanced transport into the CNS. Prog
Drug Res.2003 Jan;61(1):155-88.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Papers (Since
2003)
Stevens SM Duncan RS Koulen P Prokai L. Proteomic analysis of mouse brain microsomes: identification and bioinformatic characterization of endoplasmic reticulum proteins in the mammalian central nervous system.
J Proteome Res. 2008 March;7(3):1046-54.
Prokai-Tatrai K Perjesi P Rivera-Portalatin NM Simpkins JW Prokai L. Mechanistic investigations on the antioxidant action of a neuroprotective estrogen derivative.
Steroids. 2008 March;73(3):280-88.
Stevens SM Rauniyar N Prokai L. Rapid characterization of covalent
modifications to rat brain mitochondrial proteins after ex vivo exposure
to 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
using data dependent and neutral loss-driven MS3 acquisition.
J Mass Spectrom. 2007 Dec;42(12):1599-1605.
Prokai L Yan LJ Vera-Serrano JL Stevens SM Forster MJ. Mass
spectrometry-based survey of age-associated protein carbonylation
in rat brain mitochondria.
J Mass Spectrom. 2007 Dec;42(12):1583-89.
Branca RMM Bodo G Bagyinka C Prokai L. De novo sequencing
of a 21-kDa cytochrome c4 from Thiocapsa roseopersicina by
nanoelectrospray ionization ion-trap and Fourier-transform
ion-cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.
J Mass Spectrom. 2007 Dec;42(12):1569-82.
Rauniyar N Stevens SM Prokai L. Fourier transform ion
cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of covalent adducts of
protein and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, a reactive end-product of
lipid peroxidation. Anal
Bioanal Chem. 2007 Nov;389(5):1421-8.
Rivera-Portalatin NM Serrano-Vera JL Prokai-Tatrai K Prokai
L. Comparison of estrogen-derived ortho-quinone and
para-quinol concerning induction of oxidative stress. J
Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 June-July;105(1-5):71-5.
Prokai-Tatrai K Rivera-Portalatin N Rauniyar N Prokai L. A
facile microwave-assisted synthesis of p-quinols by lead(IV)
acetate oxidation. Lett
Org Chem. 2007 June;4(4):265-7.
Teixido M Prokai-Tatrai K Wang X Nguyen V Prokai L.
Exploratory neuropharmacological evaluation of a bridged
thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogue. Brain
Res Bull. 2007 June;73(1-3):103-7.
Yan LJ Yang SH Shu H Prokai L Forster MJ. Histochemical
staining and quantification of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase
diaphorase activity using blue native PAGE. Electrophoresis.
2007 April; 28(7):1036-45.
Prokai L Simpkins JW. Structure–nongenomic neuroprotection
relationship of estrogens and estrogen-derived compounds. Pharmacol
Therapeut.2007 April;114(1):1-12.
Nguyen V Zharikova AD Prokai L. Evidence for interplay
between thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and its structural
analogue pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH2 ([Glu2]TRH) in
the brain: An in vivo microdialysis study. Neurosci
Lett.2007 March;415(1):64-7.
Prokai L Zharikova AD Juhasz A Prokai-Tatrai K.
Cardiovascular effects of neuropeptide FF antagonists. Peptides
2006 May;27(5):1015-9.
Prokai L Prokai-Tatrai K Perjesi P Simpkins JW. Mechanistic
insights into the direct antioxidant effects of estrogens. Drug
Dev Res.2005 Oct;66(6):118-25.
Stevens SM Chung AY Chow MC McClung SH Strachan CN Harmon
AC Denslow ND Prokai L. Enhancement of phosphoprotein analysis
using a fluorescent affinity tag and mass spectrometry. Rapid
Commun Mass Spectrom.2005 Jun;19(15):2157-62.
Bergeron RJ Bharti N Wiegand J McManis JS Yao H Prokai L.
Polyamine-vectored iron chelators: the role of charge. J
Med Chem.2005 Jun;48(12):4120-37.
Prokai-Tatrai K Teixido M Nguyen V Zharikova AD Prokai L. A
pyridinium-substituted analogue of the TRH-like tripeptide
pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH2 and its prodrugs as central nervous system
agents. Med
Chem.2005 March;1(2):141-52.
Simpkins JW Wang J Wang X Perez E Prokai L Dykens JA.
Mitochondria play a central role in estrogen-induced
neuroprotection. Curr
Drug Targets CNS Neurol Disord.2005 Feb;4(1):69-83.
Prokai L Zharikova AD Stevens SM. Effect of chronic
morphine exposure on the synaptic plasma-membrane subproteome
of rats: a quantitative protein profiling study based on
isotope-coded affinity tags and liquid chromatography/mass
spectrometry. J
Mass Spectrom.2005 Feb;40(2):169-75.
Stevens Jr SM Prokai-Tatrai K Prokai L. Screening of
combinatorial libraries for substrate preference by mass
spectrometry. Anal
Chem.2005 Jan;77(2):698-701.
Prokai L Prokai-Tatrai K Zharikova AD Nguyen V Perjesi P
Stevens SM. Centrally acting and metabolically stable
thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogues by replacement of
histidine with substituted pyridinium. J
Med Chem.2004 Nov;47(24):6025-33.
Yang SH Liu R Perez EJ Wen Y Stevens SM Valencia T
Brun-Zinkernagel AM Prokai L Will Y Dykens J Koulen P Simpkins
JW. Mitochondrial localization of estrogen receptor beta. Proc
Natl Acad Sci U S A.2004 Mar;101(12):4130-5.
Ross BP Braddy AC McGeary RP Blanchfield JT Prokai L Toth
I. Micellar aggregation and membrane partitioning of bile
salts, fatty acids, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and
sugar-conjugated fatty acids: correlation with hemolytic
potency and implications for drug delivery. Mol
Pharm.2004 Jan;1(3):233-45.
Kem WR Mahnir VM Prokai L Papke RL Cao X LeFrancois S
Wildeboer K Prokai-Tatrai K Porter-Papke J Soti F. Hydroxy
metabolites of the Alzheimer's drug candidate
3-[(2,4-dimethoxy)benzylidene]-anabaseine dihydrochloride
(GTS-21): their molecular properties, interactions with brain
nicotinic receptors, and brain penetration. Mol
Pharmacol.2004 Jan;65(1):56-67.
Stevens SM Zharikova AD Prokai L. Proteomic analysis of the
synaptic plasma membrane fraction isolated from rat forebrain.
Brain
Res Mol Brain Res.2003 Oct;117(2):116-28.
Prokai L Prokai-Tatrai K Perjesi P Zharikova D Perez J Liu
R Simpkins JW. Quinol-based cyclic antioxidant mechanism in
estrogen neuroprotection. Proc
Natl Acad Sci USA.2003 Sep;100(20):11741-6.
Prokai L Prokai-Tatrai K Perjesi P Zharikova AD Simpkins
JW. Quinol-based metabolic cycle for estrogens in rat liver
microsomes. Drug
Metab Dispos.2003 Jun;31(6):701-4.
Perjési P Kim T Zharikova AD Li X Ramesh T Ramasubbu J
Prokai L. Determination of clodronate content in liposomal
formulation by capillary zone electrophoresis. J
Pharm Biomed Anal.2003 Apr;31(5):929-35.
Prokai-Tatrai K Nguyen V Zharikova AD Braddy AC Stevens SM
Prokai L. Prodrugs to enhance central nervous system effects
of the TRH-like peptide pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH2. Bioorg
Med Chem Lett.2003 Mar;13(6):1011-4.
Patents
Antagonists of RF-Amide Neuropeptides, US Patent
6,960,574
Antagonists of RF-Amide Neuropeptides, US Patent
6,797,707
Steroidal Quinols and Their Use for Antioxidant
Therapy, US Patent 7,026,306
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone
analogues and their therapeutic applications, US Patent
7,067,257
Prodrugs for Use as Ophthalmic Agents, US Patent
7,186,707
Steroidal Quinols and Their Use for Estrogen
Replacement Therapy, US Patent 7,300,926
Awards and Honors
Candidate of
Science in Chemistry (C.Sci), Hungarian Academy of Sciences in
1987
Habilitation (Dr. habil.) by the University of
Veszprém in 2000
Leading Scientist of the World 2006,
International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England
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