00061 - Biochemistry

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will understand the metabolic pathways used in the human body to meet the structural, energetic, and tissue-specific demands of cells, with particular reference to the stomatognathic system. Specifically, the student will be able to:

• Understand the biological strategies and objectives that make the various phases of metabolism (anabolism, intermediate metabolism, catabolism) interdependent;
• Identify the metabolic pathways through which biological matter is transformed, and locate the reaction sites within cells, tissues, and organs, with a focus on the stomatognathic system;
• Understand the processes of energy production and utilization in the cell and the role played by mitochondria;
• Recognize the regulatory mechanisms of key enzymatic reactions in relation to cellular metabolism and overall homeostasis in the human body;
• Apply biochemical knowledge to identify and understand important metabolic processes involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of the stomatognathic system.

Course contents

• Enzymology – Enzyme structure and classification. Cofactors and coenzymes. Enzyme-substrate interactions. Enzyme kinetics. Activation energy, transition state, and intermediate states. Michaelis-Menten equation. Steady-state kinetics. Significance of Km, Vmax, and kcat. Mechanisms of enzymatic regulation. Allosteric enzymes and their kinetics. Cooperative effects. Reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibition.
• Principles of Bioenergetics
• Introduction to Metabolism – Anabolism and catabolism. ATP hydrolysis and phosphate transfer potential. Factors contributing to the high free energy of hydrolysis of certain phosphate bonds.
• Cellular Respiration and its three phases
• Carbohydrate Metabolism – Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates; aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis; gluconeogenesis; pentose phosphate pathway; Cori cycle; glycogen metabolism (glycogenolysis and glycogenesis); hormonal regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.
• Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism – Pyruvate dehydrogenase. Citric acid cycle and its metabolic interconnections. Anaplerotic reactions. Mitchell’s chemiosmotic theory. Oxidative phosphorylation. Transport of reducing equivalents into mitochondria.
• Lipid Metabolism – Digestion and absorption of lipids; plasma lipoproteins; beta-oxidation of fatty acids; ketone bodies; lipid biosynthesis (fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes); hormonal regulation of lipid metabolism.
• Nitrogen Metabolism – Digestion and absorption of proteins; amino acid synthesis and degradation; urea cycle and its regulation; glucose-alanine cycle; synthesis, salvage, and degradation of purines and pyrimidines; deoxyribonucleotide synthesis.

Readings/Bibliography

D.L. Nelson, M.M. Cox "I principi di Biochimica di Lehninger". VIII ed., Zanichelli

T.M. Devlin, "Biochimica con aspetti clinici" V ed., Edises

Teaching methods

Lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations.

Assessment methods

Written exam with open-ended questions.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations from lectures and in-depth discussions of scientific publications.

Office hours

See the website of Claudia Zanna

See the website of