Contact Details
- Phone
- 64 3 479 7322
- gregory.giles@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Senior Lecturer
- Department
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Qualifications
- BSc(Hons) PhD
- Research summary
- Biological reduction and oxidation
Research
Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design, Free Radical Biology, Nitric Oxide, Antioxidants, Cancer, Stroke, Heart Disease, Mental Dementia.
Research: The Giles Group is investigating biological reduction and oxidation (REDOX) reactions, a wide-ranging field that encompasses energy metabolism, signal transduction pathways, enzyme function and the chemical defence mechanism of the body's immune system. Each cell in the body has to sustain a reducing environment for normal physiological function. This is achieved by maintaining an antioxidant defence network which utilises enzymes, vitamins and cellular reductants. If this defence is breached then oxidative damage can occur throughout the cell, resulting in impaired function and ultimately cell death. This event, termed oxidative stress, is implicated in the pathologies of many diseases including cancer, aging, diabetes, cardiovascular dysfunction and dementia. We are actively involved in drug discovery projects which look at new ways to protect cells from oxidative damage and so provide urgently needed therapies for clinical use.
Publications
Giles, G. I., Erickson, J. R., & Bussey, C. T. (2022). Photoactivation of tDodSNO induces localized vasodilation in rats: Metabolically stable S-nitrosothiols can act as targeted nitric oxide donors in vivo. Nitric Oxide, 129, 53-62. doi: 10.1016/j.niox.2022.10.001
Alimoradi, H., Thomas, A., Lyth, D. D. B., Barzegar-Fallah, A., Matikonda, S. S., Gamble, A. B., & Giles, G. I. (2022). SMA-BmobaSNO: An intelligent photoresponsive nitric oxide releasing polymer for drug nanoencapsulation and targeted delivery. Nanotechnology, 33, 195101. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac4eb0
McNeill, S., Giles, N. M., Preston, D., Jones, P. P., Crowley, J. D., & Giles, G. I. (2020). The quadruply stranded metallo-supramolecular helicate [Pd2 (hextrz)4]4+ acts as a molecular mimic of cytolytic peptides. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 33, 1822-1834. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00061
Alimoradi, H., Greish, K., Gamble, A. B., & Giles, G. I. (2019). Controlled delivery of nitric oxide for cancer therapy. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 7(4), 279-303. doi: 10.2174/2211738507666190429111306
van Hilst, Q. V. C., Vasdev, R. A. S., Preston, D., Findlay, J. A., Scottwell, S. Ø., Giles, G. I., Brooks, H. J. L., & Crowley, J. D. (2019). Synthesis, characterisation and antimicrobial studies of some 2,6-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine ruthenium(II) “click” complexes. Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry, 8, 496-505. doi: 10.1002/ajoc.201900088
Alimoradi, H., Matikonda, S. S., Gamble, A. B., Giles, G. I., & Greish, K. (2017). Redox activated polymeric nanoparticles in tumor therapy. In E. Andronescu & A. M. Grumezescu (Eds.), Nanostructures for drug delivery. (pp. 327-354). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-46143-6.00010-5
Chapter in Book - Research
Giles, G. I. (2009). Redox-controlled transcription factors and gene expression. In C. Jacob & P. G. Winyard (Eds.), Redox signaling and regulation in biology and medicine. (pp. 245-270). Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH.
Chapter in Book - Research
Teng, X., Isbell, T. S., Crawford, J. H., Bosworth, C. A., Giles, G. I., Koenitzer, J. R., … Patel, R. P. (2008). Novel method for measuring S-nitrosothiols using hydrogen sulfide. In Methods in enzymology (Volo. 441: Nitric oxide, part G oxidative and nitrasative stress in redox regulation of cell signaling). (pp. 161-172). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/s0076-6879(08)01209-3
Chapter in Book - Research
Alimoradi, H., Thomas, A., Lyth, D. D. B., Barzegar-Fallah, A., Matikonda, S. S., Gamble, A. B., & Giles, G. I. (2022). SMA-BmobaSNO: An intelligent photoresponsive nitric oxide releasing polymer for drug nanoencapsulation and targeted delivery. Nanotechnology, 33, 195101. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac4eb0
Journal - Research Article
Giles, G. I., Erickson, J. R., & Bussey, C. T. (2022). Photoactivation of tDodSNO induces localized vasodilation in rats: Metabolically stable S-nitrosothiols can act as targeted nitric oxide donors in vivo. Nitric Oxide, 129, 53-62. doi: 10.1016/j.niox.2022.10.001
Journal - Research Article
McNeill, S., Giles, N. M., Preston, D., Jones, P. P., Crowley, J. D., & Giles, G. I. (2020). The quadruply stranded metallo-supramolecular helicate [Pd2 (hextrz)4]4+ acts as a molecular mimic of cytolytic peptides. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 33, 1822-1834. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00061
Journal - Research Article
Alimoradi, H., Barzegar-Fallah, A., Sammut, I. A., Griesh, K., & Giles, G. I. (2019). Encapsulation of tDodSNO generates a photoactivated nitric oxide releasing nanoparticle for localized control of vasodilation and vascular hyperpermeability. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 130, 297-305. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.10.433
Journal - Research Article
van Hilst, Q. V. C., Vasdev, R. A. S., Preston, D., Findlay, J. A., Scottwell, S. Ø., Giles, G. I., Brooks, H. J. L., & Crowley, J. D. (2019). Synthesis, characterisation and antimicrobial studies of some 2,6-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine ruthenium(II) “click” complexes. Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry, 8, 496-505. doi: 10.1002/ajoc.201900088
Journal - Research Article
Vasdev, R. A. S., Gaudin, L. F., Preston, D., Jogy, J. P., Giles, G. I., & Crowley, J. D. (2018). Anticancer activity and cisplatin binding ability of bis-quinoline and bis-isoquinoline derived Pd2L44+ metallosupramolecular cages. Frontiers in Chemistry, 6, 563. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00563
Journal - Research Article
Giles, G. I., Nasim, M. J., Ali, W., & Jacob, C. (2017). The Reactive Sulfur Species concept: 15 Years On. Antioxidants, 6(2), 38. doi: 10.3390/antiox6020038
Journal - Research Article
Alimoradi, H., Matikonda, S. S., Gamble, A. B., Giles, G. I., & Greish, K. (2016). Hypoxia responsive drug delivery systems in tumor therapy. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 22(19), 2808-2820.
Journal - Research Article
McKay, A. P., Lo, W. K. C., Preston, D., Giles, G. I., Crowley, J. D., Barnsley, J. E., Gordon, K. C., & McMorran, D. A. (2016). Palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of ((2-pyridyl)pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)benzoic acids: Synthesis, solid state characterisation and biological cytotoxicity. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 446, 41-53. doi: 10.1016/j.ica.2016.02.038
Journal - Research Article
Preston, D., McNeill, S. M., Lewis, J. E. M., Giles, G. I., & Crowley, J. D. (2016). Enhanced kinetic stability of [Pd2L4] 4+ cages through ligand substitution. Dalton Transactions, 45, 8050-8060. doi: 10.1039/c6dt00133e
Journal - Research Article
Zadehvakili, B., McNeill, S. M., Fawcett, J. P., & Giles, G. I. (2016). The design of redox active thiol peroxidase mimics: Dihydrolipoic acid recognition correlates with cytotoxicity and prooxidant action. Biochemical Pharmacology, 104, 19-28. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2016.01.012
Journal - Research Article
Lo, W. K. C., Huff, G. S., Preston, D., McMorran, D. A., Giles, G. I., Gordon, K. C., & Crowley, J. D. (2015). A dinuclear platinum(II) N4Py complex: An unexpected coordination mode for N4Py. Inorganic Chemistry, 54(14), 6671-6673. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5b01032
Journal - Research Article
McNeill, S. M., Preston, D., Lewis, J. E. M., Robert, A., Knerr-Rupp, K., Graham, D. O., Wright, J. R., Giles, G. I., & Crowley, J. D. (2015). Biologically active [Pd2L4]4+ quadruply-stranded helicates: Stability and cytotoxicity. Dalton Transactions, 44, 11129-11136. doi: 10.1039/c5dt01259g
Journal - Research Article
Kumari, S., Sammut, I. A., & Giles, G. I. (2014). The design of nitric oxide donor drugs: S-nitrosothiol tDodSNO is a superior photoactivated donor in comparison to GSNO and SNAP. European Journal of Pharmacology, 737, 168-176. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2014.05.012
Journal - Research Article
Aitken, J. B., Shearer, E. L., Giles, N. M., Lai, B., Vogt, B., Reboucas, J. S., … Giles, G. I. (2013). Intracellular targeting and pharmacological activity of the superoxide dismutase mimics MnTE-2-PyP5+ and MnTnHex-2-PyP5+ regulated by their porphyrin ring substituents. Inorganic Chemistry, 52(8), 4121-4123. doi: 10.1021/ic300700g
Journal - Research Article
Aitken, J. B., Lay, P. A., Duong, T. T. H., Aran, R., Witting, P. K., Harris, H. H., … Giles, G. I. (2012). Synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission studies of the antioxidant mechanism of the organoselenium drug ebselen. Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 17(4), 589-598. doi: 10.1007/s00775-012-0879-y
Journal - Research Article
Ang, A. D., Konigstorfer, A., Giles, G. I., & Bhatia, M. (2012). Measuring free tissue sulfide. Advances in Biological Chemistry, 2(4), 360-365. doi: 10.4236/abc.2012.24044
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Kumari, S., Gang, B. P., Yuen, C. W. W., Billaud, E. M. F., & Giles, G. I. (2012). The molecular design of S-nitrosothiols as photodynamic agents for controlled nitric oxide release. Chemical Biology & Drug Design, 80(3), 471-478. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-0285.2012.01420.x
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Kumari, S., Stamm, R., Patel, S., & Giles, G. I. (2012). A hydrogen peroxide electrode assay to measure thiol peroxidase activity for organoselenium and organotellurium drugs. Analytical Biochemistry, 429(2), 103-107. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2012.07.013
Journal - Research Article
Stadler, N., Heeneman, S., Vöö, S., Stanley, N., Giles, G. I., Gang, B. P., … Davies, M. J. (2012). Reduced metal ion concentrations in atherosclerotic plaques from subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Atherosclerosis, 222(2), 512-518. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.03.015
Journal - Research Article
Zadehvakili, B., Fawcett, J. P., & Giles, G. I. (2012). Synthesis, structure activity relationship studies and antioxidant activity evaluation of some organochalcogen catalysts as novel GPx mimics. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 53(Suppl. 1), S99. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.08.206
Journal - Research Article
Singh, A., Guidry, L., Narasimhulu, K. V., Mai, D., Trombley, J., Redding, K. E., Giles, G. I., … Steyn, A. J. C. (2007). Mycobacterium tuberculosis WhiB3 responds to O2 and nitric oxide via its [4Fe-4S] cluster and is essential for nutrient starvation survival. PNAS, 104(28), 11562-11567. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0700490104
Journal - Research Article
Giles, G. I. (2006). The redox regulation of thiol dependent signaling pathways in cancer. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 12, 4427-4443.
Journal - Research Article
Griguer, C. E., Oliva, C. R., Kelley, E. E., Giles, G. I., Lancaster, Jr, J. R., & Gillespie, G. Y. (2006). Xanthine oxidase-dependent regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor in cancer cells. Cancer Research, 66(4), 2257-2263. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-3364
Journal - Research Article
Kelley, E. E., Hock, T., Khoo, N. K. H., Richardson, G. R., Johnson, K. K., Powell, P. C., Giles, G. I., … Tarpey, M. M. (2006). Moderate hypoxia induces xanthine oxidoreductase activity in arterial endothelial cells. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 40(6), 952-959. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2005.11.008
Journal - Research Article
Fry, F. H., Holme, A. L., Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., Collins, C., Holt, K., … Jacob, C. (2005). Multifunctional redox catalysts as selective enhancers of oxidative stress. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 3(14), 2579-2587. doi: 10.1039/b502197a
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., & Jacob, C. (2003). Multiple roles of cysteine in biocatalysis. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications, (1), 1-4. doi: 10.1016/S0006-291X(02)02770-5
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., Holley, J. E., Gutowski, N. J., & Jacob, C. (2003). Targeting oxidative stress-related diseases: Organochalcogen catalysts as redox sensitizers. Biochemical Pharmacology, 66(10), 2021-2028. doi: 10.1016/S0006-2952(03)00544-6
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Gutowski, N. J., Giles, G. I., & Jacob, C. (2003). Redox catalysts as sensitisers towards oxidative stress. FEBS Letters, 535, 179-182. doi: 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)03890-5
Journal - Research Article
Giles, N. M., Watts, A. B., Giles, G. I., Fry, F. H., Littlechild, J. A., & Jacob, C. (2003). Metal and redox modulation of cysteine protein function. Chemistry & Biology, 10(8), 677-693. doi: 10.1016/S1074-5521(03)00174-1
Journal - Research Article
Jacob, C., Giles, G. I., Giles, N. M., & Sies, H. (2003). Sulfur and selenium: The role of oxidation state in protein structure and function. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 42(39), 4742-4758. doi: 10.1002/anie.200300573
Journal - Research Article
Giles, G. I., Tasker, K. M., Collins, C., Giles, N. M., O'Rourke, E., & Jacob, C. (2002). Reactive sulphur species: An in vitro investigation of the oxidation properties of disulphide S-oxides. Biochemical Journal, 364, 579-585.
Journal - Research Article
Alimoradi, H., Greish, K., Gamble, A. B., & Giles, G. I. (2019). Controlled delivery of nitric oxide for cancer therapy. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 7(4), 279-303. doi: 10.2174/2211738507666190429111306
Journal - Research Other
Alimoradi, H., Barzegar-Fallah, A., Sammut, I. A., Griesh, K., & Giles, G. I. (2018). Data characterizing the biophysical and nitric oxide release properties of the tDodSNO: Styrene maleic anhydride nanoparticle SMA-tDodSNO [Data article]. Data in Brief, 21, 1771-1775. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.10.149
Journal - Research Other
Zadehvakili, B., Giles, N. M., Fawcett, J. P., & Giles, G. I. (2016). Data on the catalytic mechanism of thiol peroxidase mimics [Data article]. Data in Brief, 8, 207-210. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2016.05.037
Journal - Research Other
Giles, G. I., Giles, N. M., Collins, C. A., Holt, K., Fry, F. H., Lowden, P. A. S., … Jacob, C. (2003). Electrochemical, in vitro and cell culture analysis of integrated redox catalysts: Implications for cancer therapy. Chemical Communications, 2030-2031. doi: 10.1039/b302877a
Journal - Research Other