To show the organization of the course that includes this module, follow this link:  Course organization

Learning outcomes

The course of Chemistry and Biomedical Chemistry aims to bring the student to: a) know the characteristics of elements and compounds and the principles that enable them to understand their behavior in biological systems; b) understand the reactivity of different classes of organic compounds in order to know how to interpret their behavior in biological systems; c) be able to perform elementary calculations with respect to the quantitative aspects of chemistry applied to Medical Sciences; d) acquire a solid chemical base to be able to interpret molecularly the phenomena described by biochemistry; e) know the structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids; f) understand the properties of enzymes, their kinetics of reaction and the catalytic mechanisms; g) acquire information on how living beens synthesize and degrade carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and nucleotides with particular attention to energy production and consumption; h) know the structure and function of vitamins and hormones; i) understand how living organisms coordinate the thousands of reactions they catalyze; l) know particular topics of molecular and cell biochemistry such as transport in biological membranes, signal transduction, and molecular contraction mechanism; m) acquire useful information on diseases that result from biochemical defects.

Program

BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
- Biological membranes: molecular components, molecular transport mechanisms and signal transduction.
-Proteins: Hemoglobin A structure and function, hemoglobin S, myoglobin, contractile proteins. Protein glycosylation.
- Metabolic biochemistry: introduction to metabolism, anabolic and catabolic processes, metabolic pathway design and regulation, major metabolic control mechanisms, intracellular compartmentation.
- Bioenergetics: general principles and thermodynamic chemistry, oxidation potential, "energy-rich" chemical bonds. ATP: its role in energy utilization. Substrate level phosphorylation. Mitochondria, respiratory chain and its components, oxidative phosphorylation, coupling of oxidative phosphorylation to electron transport, chemiosmotic mechanism, decoupling agents and oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors.
- Metabolism of glucids: digestion and absorption. Glucose 6 phosphate: synthesis and utilization. Glycolysis. Conversion of pyruvate to acetylCoA. Aerobic Glucose Oxidation: Shuttle Systems. Pasteur effect and Warburg effect. pentose phosphate pathway. Gluconeogenesis. Metabolic Interaction between sugars. Synthesis and degradation of glycogen. Regulation of the glucose metabolism. Energy balance of metabolic pathways. Intracellular location of glucid metabolic steps.
- Lipid metabolism: digestion and absorption. Beta-oxidation of odd and even carbon atom fatty acids, saturated or unsaturated. Alpha-oxidation of fatty acids. Ketogenesis. Biosynthesis of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and fatty acid elongation reactions. Biosynthesis of neutral fats, phospholipids, glycolipids. Lipid metabolism regulation. Energy balance of lipid metabolic pathways. Intracellular location of lipid metabolic steps. Cholesterol Metabolism. Pharmacological inhibition of the cholesterol biosynthesis.
- Protein metabolism: digestion and absorption. Proteolytic enzymes. General amino acid metabolism: transaminations, oxidative and non-oxidative deamination. Fate of the alpha-amino nitrogen of the amini acids in various animal species (ammotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism). Ornithine cycle and genesis of urea . Catabolism of the carbon skeleton of Amino Acids: Gluco- and Cheto-Genic Amino Acids. Transmethylation. Other products of amino acid metabolism: biosynthesis and degradation of heme group, biosynthesis of the physiologically active amines, nitric oxide. Essential and non-essential amino acids. Notes on the synthesis of each amino acid. Regulation of protein metabolism. Energy balance of protein metabolic pathways. Intracellular location of protein metabolic steps.
- Terminal metabolism: general concepts. The cycle of tricarboxylic acids, its energy aspects and regulation. Citric Cycle Related Reactions: Metabolic Routes Using Citric Cycle Intermediates, reactions which furnish Intermediates, Glyoxylate pathway.
- Regulation of the metabolism, tissue integration and signal transduction: hormonal regulation of energy metabolism, action of the major hormones, regulation of hormone secretion, target tissues and hormone receptors. The adenylate cyclase signal system: the role of the cyclic AMP and Proteins G. The pathway of phosphoinositide. The insulin receptor and other similar receptors with tyrosine kinase activity. Steroids and thyroid hormones: intracellular receptors. Oncogenes and cellular signal transmission. Hormonal regulation of calcium: parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, vitamin D.
- Nucleotide metabolism: the "de novo" biosynthesis of purinic and pyrimidine nucleotides, nucleotide synthesis inhibitors, "recovery" biosynthetic pathways, digestion and absorption of nucleotides, purine and pyrimidine catabolism, uric acid and hyperuricemia.
- Vitamins: hydrosoluble and liposoluble vitamins.

Examination Methods

The examination of the "Biological Chemistry" module consists of a written test composed by questions with multiple responses, a description of biochemical reactions or metabolic pathways and of their regulation. The oral examination, which is accessed after passing the written test, consists of an interview aimed at assessing the student's ability to use chemical and biochemical knowledge for the interpretation of physiological and pathological phenomena in humans.