Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Neuropeptide- and neuropeptidase-based drug discovery; Drug metabolism; Molecular mechanisms of estrogen neuroprotection; Molecular pharmacology of thyrotropin-releasing hormone, dynorphins and neuropeptide FF; Free-radical chemistry in biology/medicine; Enzyme-based ocular drug targeting; Combinatorial chemistry; Computational (bio)chemistry/(Q)SAR; Bioanalytical and macromolecular mass spectrometry; Proteomics.

Stevens SM Prokai-Tatrai K Prokai L. Factors that contribute to the misidentification of tyrosine nitration by shotgun proteomics. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2008 Dec;7(12):2442-51.

Prokai L Frycak P Stevens SM Nguyen V. Measurement of acetylcholine in rat brain microdialysates by LC-isotope dilution tandem MS. Chromatographia. 2008 Oct;68:S101-5.

Nguyen V Bonds DV Prokai L. Measurement of hydroxyl-radical formation in the rat striatum by in vivo microdialysis and GC-MS. Chromatographia. 2008 Oct;68:S57-S62.

Prokai-Tatrai K Kim HS Prokai L. The utility of oligopeptidase in brain-targeting delivery of an enkephalin analogue by prodrug design. Open Med Chem J. 2008 Sept;2:97-100.

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 U S A. 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.

B.Sc. Chemical Engineering,
University of Veszprem, Hungary (1978)

M.Sc. Chemical Engineering (Radiochemical Technology), University of Veszprem, Hungary (1980)

Ph.D. Radiochemistry (Summa Cum Laude), University of Veszprem, Hungary (1983)

Postdoctoral Fellow:  Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (1987-89)

Dr. Prokai is Robert A. Welch Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.