BIOCHIMICA SISTEMATICA UMANA ED APPLICATA

To provide students with adequate knowledge of the metabolic processes and control mechanisms of metabolism to deal with successive studies on the effects of drugs, their mechanism of action and on their design.

Frontal teaching with power point and/or short film projection. Teaching is also developed in order to stimulate the student's ability to orient himself independently in the selection and consultation of scientific texts and journals.

If the teaching is carried out in mixed or remote mode, the necessary changes may be introduced in order to respect the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

Information for students with disabilities and/or SLD:

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with the laws in force, interested students can request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and / or dispensative measures, based on educational objectives and specific needs. It is also possible to contact the CInAP referent teacher (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and / or DSA) of our Department, Prof. Teresa Musumeci.

• Introduction to metabolism: catabolic, biosynthetic, anfibolic processes.
• Coenzymes and their role in metabolism: DPT, pyridoxal phosphate, NAD, NADP, FAD, CoA, water soluble vitamins and fat soluble vitamins (structure, functions and deficiency states).
• Energy metabolism: mitochondrial respiratory chain and its regulation, inhibitors and uncoupling; Energy-rich compounds.
• Carbohydrate metabolism and its regulation: Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates; glycogen synthesis, glycogenolysis, glycolysis, Krebs cycle, pentose, gluconeogenesis. Hormonal regulation of glucose metabolism.
• Protein metabolism and its regulation: Deamination, transamination, metabolic fate of ammonia, urea cycle, metabolism of the major amino acids. Phenylketonuria and celiac disease.
• Lipid metabolism and its regulation: Transport of lipids in the blood (plasma lipoproteins); Beta-oxidation, alpha-omega-oxidation and oxidation of saturated fatty acids; Ketogenesis and utilization of ketone bodies; lipogenesis; Cholesterol biosynthesis and its regulation; Diseases caused by abnormal lipid metabolism (dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis).
• Nucleotide metabolism and its regulation: ex-novo and recovery biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, uric acid biosynthesis.
• Free radicals and defense mechanisms: definition and physico-chemical characteristics of free radicals, endogenous production, toxicity and defense mechanisms (enzymatic and non-enzymatic).
• Heme metabolism: biosynthesis, degradation, jaundice, porphyrias.
• Metabolism correlations: role of the liver in energy homeostasis.

Applied Biochemistry

• Production of monoclonal antibodies and theis uses.
• Clinical Applications of enzymes: Enzymes as analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic tools (biosensors, direct and indirect ELISA methods).
• Restriction enzymes in recombinant DNA technology.
• Techniques for cloning and DNA isolation; gene amplification by PCR.
• Implications and applications of biotechnology in research, medicine and agriculture.

• “Biochimica” (D. Voet e J.G. Voet) – ed. Zanichelli;
• "BIOCHIMICA con aspetti clinici-farmaceutici" (T.M. Devlin) - EdiSES;
• “Biochimica” (C.K. Mathews e K.E. van Holde – ed. Casa Edistrice Ambrosiana);
• “Fondamenti di Biochimica” (D. Voet, J.G. Voet e C.W. Pratt – ed. Zanichelli);
• “Fondamenti di Biochimica” (P. Ritter – ed. Zanichelli).
• “Biochimica Medica” (N. Siliprandi, e G. Tettamanti) - ed. Piccin.

Applied Biochemistry

• "Metodologie Biochimiche e Biomolecolari" (M. Maccarrone) - ed. Zanichelli.