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Dr. Mark A. Kukucka

Dr. Mark A. Kukucka

Nanotechnology Sales Executive, Danaher
http://independent.academia.edu/MarkAKukuckaDVMPhD
Contacts
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Positions

Current:
  • Nanotechnology Sales Executive, Danaher

Education

Interests

Awards and Honors

Research Summary

Mark is an accomplished biomedical research scientist and physician who has earned four collegiate degrees including two doctorates from Virginia Tech in Veterinary Medicine and Biochemistry with numerous peer-reviewed publications to his credit. Working as a Sales Executive with a major Fortune 500 company, he consults on nanotechnology needs for biological and material scientists employed with academic/pharma/government research labs including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Department of Defense (U.S. Army, Navy & Air Force), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Smithsonian Institution to name a few. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, the University of Maryland NanoCenter, the Maryland Aviation Museum and the World Veterinary Association. After joining the Civil Air Patrol (U.S. Air Force auxiliary) in 1975, he quickly rose thru the ranks, received his Solo wings in 1977, was chosen for IACE in 1978, earned the Model Rocketry badge in 1979, awarded a CAP college scholarship in 1980 and capped his CAP cadet career with the achievement of the General Carl A. Spaatz Award in 1981 for which he received a congratulatory letter from former president Richard M. Nixon and a personal meeting with Paul E. Garber (First Curator of the National Air & Space Museum). He currently holds the grade of Captain in the Glenn L. Martin Composite Squadron where he serves as the unit’s Aerospace Education Officer and Medical Officer in addition to being a commercial instrument rated CAP pilot.

Research Projects

  • Redox potential of oxytocin <---> oxytoceine
    Vitamin C (aka ascorbate) is another non-enzymatic antioxidant found in significant levels within the testes. As an antioxidant, ascorbate's primary role is to donate electrons to neutralize reactive species of oxygen including superoxide (to H2O2) and hydroxyl free radicals (to H2O). When ascorbate acts as a scavenger (by donating an electron to a free radical), ascorbate is oxidized in the process to the ascorbate free radical and dehydro-ascorbate. The ascorbate free radical and the dehydro-ascorbate are reduced back to ascorbate either by NADH (catalyzed by semidehydroascorbate reductase and forming NAD) or reduced glutathione (GSH)(catalyzed by dehydroascorbate reductase and forming oxidized glutathione (GSSG)).

    n.b. Vitamin C also works along with glutathione peroxidase (a major free radical-fighting enzyme) to revitalize vitamin E.

    Interestingly, Kukucka et. al. reported finding significant levels of oxytocin (a disulfide containing octapeptide) in isolated Leydig cells. Kukucka theorized in the introduction of his PhD dissertation that open chain oxytoceine (the reduced form of oxytocin) may also act as a scavenger (by donating an electron to a free radical), oxytoceine may then be oxidized back to oxytocin. As noted above, the ascorbate free radical and
    the dehydro-ascorbate are reduced back to ascorbate either by NADH catalyzed by semidehydroascorbate reductase (and forming NAD) or reduced glutathione (GSH) catalyzed by dehydroascorbate reductase (and forming oxidized glutathione (GSSG)).... why couldn't the ascorbate free radical and dehydro-ascorbate be reduced back to ascorbate by reduced oxytoceine (forming closed-ring oxytocin)?

    Thus, the redox potential of oxytocin <---> oxytoceine may drive ascorbate <---> dehydro-ascorbate or vice versa as part of the non-enzymatic antioxidant defense system.

    With that said:

    Could the redox potential of oxytoceine drive the formation of reduced ascorbate and oxytocin.... is this chemistry right?

    What is the redox potential of oxytocin <---> oxytoceine?

    What is the redox potential of ascorbate <---> dehydro-ascorbate?

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