LibGuides: Biochemistry (MBBS): Course Outline

Course Contents

1-Cell Biochemistry

Introduction to biochemistry
Biochemical composition and functions of the cell
Biochemistry of eukaryotes, prokaryotes and archaea
Cell membranes and their chemical composition
Importance of lipids and proteins in cell membranes
Signaling pathways and receptors
Methods to study cell biochemistry (microscopy, centrifugation,spectrophotometry, chromatography, electrophoresis and thermal cycler)

2-Body fluids and pH regulation

Ionization of water, weak acids and bases
pH and pH scale
pK values, dissociation constant and titration curve of weak acids
·Body buffers and their mechanism of action
Henderson – Hasselbach‟s equation
Acid base regulation in human body
Biochemical mechanisms for control of water and electrolyte balance..

3-Carbohydrates

Definition, biochemical function and classification
Structure and functions of monosaccharides and their derivatives
Disaccharides and their important examples
Oligosaccharides and their combination with other macromolecules
Polysaccharides and their important examples and biochemical role
Biochemical importance of carbohydrates

4-Proteins

Definitions, biochemical importance and classification of proteins based on physiochemical properties
Amino acids and their structure, properties and functions
Classification and nutritional significance of amino acids
Dissociation, titration and importance of amino acids
Structure of proteins and their significance in pH maintenance
Separation of proteins e.g. salting out, electrophoresis, chromatography, centrifugation

5-Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids
1-Chemistry of purines and pyrimidines, their types, structure and function
2- Chemistry and structure of nucleoside and nucleotide and their biochemical role
3- Derivatives of purines and pyrimidines, their role in health and disease
4- Nucleic acids, their types, structure and functions (gout)
6-Lipids and Fatty Acids

1- Classification of lipids and their biochemical functions
2- Structure and biochemical function of phospholipids, glycolipids and sphingolipids
3- Classification of fatty acids and their biochemical functions
4- Functions of essential fatty acids
5- Identification of fats and oils (saponification, acid number)
6- Eicosanoides and their function in health and disease

7- Steroids and their biochemical role
8- Cholesterol, its structure, chemistry and functions
9- Lipid peroxidation and its significance

7-Enzymes
1-Classification/nomenclature

2-Properties of enzymes and catalysts
3-Functions of enzymes and catalysts
4-Co-enzymes and co-factors

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5-Isozymes and their clinical importance
6-Factors affecting enzyme activity (Michaelis – Menten and Lineweaver burk equations) Classification of enzyme inhibitors and their biochemical importance
7-Therapeutic use and application of enzymes in clinical diagnosis
8-Porphyrins and Haemoglobin
1- Chemistry and biosynthesis of porphyrins and related disorders
2- Structures, functions and types of haemoglobin
3- Oxygen binding capacity of haemoglobin, factors affecting and regulating the oxygen binding capacity of haemoglobin
4- Degradation of haeme, formation of bile pigments, its types, transport and excretion
5- Hyperbilirubinimia, biochemical causes and differentiation
6 Haemoglobinopathies (Hb-S, Thalassaemia etc.) and their biochemical causes
9-Vitamins and minerals
1- Vitamins and their different types
2- Classification of vitamins, their chemical structure and biochemical function
3- Absorption of vitamins and minerals
4- Daily requirements, sources of water and fat soluble vitamins
5- Effects of vitamin deficiency
6- Role of vitamins as co-enzymes
7- Hypo- and hyper-vitaminosis
8- Minerals in human nutrition, sources, biochemical actions and recommended daily allowance (RDA).
9- Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, iodine, fluoride
10- Trace elements (Fe, Zn, Se, I, Cu, Cr, Cd and Mn)
10-Nutrition
1- Caloric requirements of the body
2- Balanced diet
3- Nutritional requirements in: pregnancy lactation newborn, youth and old age
4- Nutritional disorders and protein energy malnutrition (Marasmus, Kwashiorkor and Marasmic-Kwashiorkor)
11-Bioenergetics and Biological Oxidation:
1- Endergonic and exergonic reactions, coupling through ATP
2- Oxidation and reduction, methods of electron transfer, redox potential, enzymes and coenzymes of biologic oxidation and reduction
3- Respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation, components of respiratory chain, electron carriers
4- ATP synthesis coupled with electron flow
5- ADP coupled to electron transfer
6- ATP synthase- relation to proton pump, PMF, and active transport
7- Uncouplers and inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation
12-Introduction to metabolism
Metabolism of carbohydrates
1- Glycolysis
2- Phases and reactions of glycolysis
3- Energetics of aerobic and anaerobic gylcolysis and their importance
4- Regulation of glycolysis
5- Cori‟s cycle
6- The fate of pyruvate
7- Citric Acid Cycle
8- Reactions, energetics and regulation and importance of citric acid cycle
9- Amphibolic nature of citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle –
10- TCA or the Kreb‟s cycle)
11- Anpoleratic reactions and regulations of TCA cycle
12- Gluconeogenesis
13- Important three by-pass reactions of gluconeogenesis
14- Entrance of amino acids and intermediates of TCA cycle and other nutrients as gluconeogenic substrates
15- Significance of gluconeogenesis
13-Glycogen metabolism
1- Reactions of glycogenesis and glycogenolysis
2- Importance of UDP-Glucose
3- Regulation of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase
4- Glycogen phosphorylase A and the blood glucose sensor
5- Disorders of glycogen metabolism (glycogen storage diseases)
14-Secondary pathways of carbohydrate metabolism
1- Hexose Mono Phosphate (HMP) shunt, its reactions and importance
2- Glucuronic acid pathway, its reactions and importance
3- Metabolism of fructose, galactose and lactose
4- Regulation of Blood Glucose level
5- Hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and their regulating factors
6- Biochemistry of Diabetes Mellitus, its laboratory findings and diagnosis
15- Metabolism of Lipids:
1- Mobilization and transport of fatty acids, tricylglycerol and sterols
2- Oxidation of fatty acids
3- Activation and transport of fatty acid in the mitochondria
β-oxidation, fate of acetyl CoA, regulation of β-oxidation
4- Other types of oxidation, i.e. αoxidation, ω-oxidation, peroxisome oxidation, oxidation of odd number carbon-containing fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids etc.
5- Ketogenesis
6- Mechanism and utilization of ketone bodies and significance
7- Ketosis and its mechanism Biosynthesis of fatty acids
8- Eicosanoids, synthesis from arachidonic acid, their mechanism and biochemical functions
9- Triacylgycerol synthesis and regulation
10- Synthesis and degradation of phospholipids and their metabolicdisorders
11- Cholesterol synthesis, regulation, functions, fate of intermediates of cholesterol synthesis, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis
12- Plasma lipoproteins, VLDL, LDL, HDL, and chylomicrons, theirtransport, functions and importance in health and disease
13- Glycolipid metabolism and abnormalities
16-Metabolism of Proteins and Amino acids:
1- Amino acid oxidation, metabolic fates of amino acid, transamination, deamination decarboxylation, deamidation and transamination
2- Transport of amino group, role of pyridoxal phosphate, glutamate, glutamine, alanine
3- Ammonia intoxication, nitrogen excretion and urea formation, urea cycle and its regulation, genetic defects of urea cycle
4- Functions, pathways of amino acid degradation and genetic disorders of individual amino acids
17-Integration and regulation of metabolic pathways in different tissues
18-Metabolism of nucleotides:
1- De novo purine synthesis
2- Synthesis of pyrimidine
3- Recycling of purine and pyrimidine bases (Salvage pathway)
4- Degradation of purine, formation of uric acid
5- Disorders of purine nucleotide metabolism
19- Biochemical genetics (informational flow in the cell):
1- The structural basis of the cellular information
2- DNA, chromosomes - discovery and organization of DNA ingenomes
3- Nucleosome structure and function
4- Super-coiling of DNA
5- DNA replication (DNA-dependent DNA synthesis)
6- DNA polymerase, its components and functions
7- Initiation, elongation and termination of replication
8- DNA repair, mutation and cancers
9- Transcription (DNA-dependent RNA synthesis)
11- RNA polymerase, its components and functions
12- Initiation, elongation and termination of transcription
13- RNA processing
14- RNA-dependent synthesis of RNA and DNA
15- Reverse transcription DNA synthesis from viral RNA
16- Retroviruses in relation to cancer and AIDS
17- Translation (Protein synthesis)
18- The genetic code
19- Initiation, elongation and termination of protein synthesis
20- Post-translational modification
21- Regulation of gene expression
22- Molecular biology technology
23- DNA isolation
24- DNA-recombinant technology
25- Hybridization, blotting techniques
Epigenetics
Genetic disorders
22- Biochemistry of Endocrine system
1- Synthesis, secretion, mechanism of action and regulation of hormones
2- Hormone effect on carbohydrate, lipid, protein, mineral metabolism
3- Disorders of various endocrine glands
22- Biochemistry of Water and Electrolyte Imbalance and Acid-Base balance
23-Laboratory practicals:
1- Introduction to use of laboratory facilities/equipment
2- Basic techniques and fundamental information
3- Preparation of solutions - Normal solution and normal saline
4- Gel electrophoresis
5- Qualitative analysis of proteins by Lowery method, Biuret test
6- Gel filtration chromatography (demonstration)
7- Gene cloning (demonstration)
8- DNA extraction (demonstration)
9- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR; demonstration)
10- Chemical analysis of normal and abnormal urine
11- The techniques and instrumentation of clinical biochemistry
12- Spectrophotometry
13- UV spectrophotometry
14- pH metry
15- Collection and preservation of clinical specimens
16- Estimation and clinical interpretation of Blood glucose and Glucose tolerance test (demonstration)
17- Determination of amino acids in urine by paper chromatography (demonstration)
18- Estimation of various biochemical parameters in blood (urea, uric acid, creatinine, billirubin, protein, cholesterol and electrolytes)
19- Measurements of plasma enzymes (ALT, AST, LDH, CK, ALP and amylase