COURSE TITLE: MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

COURSE CODE: PMB 110

HOURS TAUGHT: 80 HOURS
PREREQUISITES: Foundation courses in biology and chemistry

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

This course introduces the students to the cell as the basic unit life and the
compartments where various biochemical reactions occur. It covers basic
principles of water and electrolytes, the body’s acid base balance. It also
introduces basic biochemical principles in terms of structure and function of
biomolecules; carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. It examines the various
vitamins and their roles as coenzymes, the various minerals and their functions
and associated deficiencies. The concept of enzymes as biological catalysts is
also introduced.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE COURSE

As a result of studying the course, students will be able to;
 Understand, describe and summarize the molecular and functional
organization of cells.
 To understand the importance of acids and base in the body and the
various disorders arising from imbalances
 Explain the structure-function relationship and inter relationships of
various biomolecules in health and disease.
 Understand the chemistry, functions and deficiency disorders of Vitamins and
Minerals
 Summarize the basic and clinical aspects of Enzymology with emphasis on
diagnostic enzymes.
 Describe the working principles of various instruments in the biochemistry
laboratory.
 Quantitative and qualitative identification of the various biomolecule

COURSE CONTENT
1.0 Cell Biology

 Organization of cellular structures and their functional roles

 Introduction: Importance of the cell, the types: Prokaryotic and
Eukaryotic Cells, Essential differences between prokaryotic and
 eukaryotic cell.
 Organelles:
-Nucleus: Its structure and functions.
-Mitochondrion: Its structure and functions.
- Endoplasmic Reticulum: Types structure and functions.
-Golgi Complexes: structure and functions.
-Lysosomes: their structure, functions and inherited disorders/disease.
-Peroxisomes: their structure and functions.
 Cytoskeleton: the structure of actins, intermediate filaments and
microtubules and their functions.
 Cell membranes, mechanism of transport across typical cell membrane
 Chemical composition of the membranes: Lipids and their types;
Proteins present, their types, Integral, Peripheral and Membrane
proteins and their functions; Nature of carbohydrates found in the
lipid bilayers
 Fluid Mosaic Model
 Transport Mechanisms: Passive or simple diffusion, Facillitated
diffusion, Active transport; uniport systems, co-transport systems-
symport and antiport Transport of Macromolecules: Exocytosis,
Endocytosis (Phagocytosis and Pinocytosis).
2.0 Acid-Base Balance
 Basic concepts: pH, Acids, Bases, Buffers, strong acids/bases, weak
acids/bases.
 Henderson Hasselbalch Equation (derivation and applications) Role of
kidneys and lungs in Acid base homeostasis.

 Buffers: Definitions, how buffers work in the body. Various buffer

systems in plasma and erythrocytes: bicarbonate buffer and its link with
the respiratory system, plasma proteins, hemoglobin as a blood buffer.
Intracellular buffer systems; phosphate buffer and its link with the
kidneys.
 Renal mechanisms of regulation of blood pH:
 Respiratory mechanisms of regulation of blood pH:
 Acid bases imbalances: Metabolic acidosis and alkalosis, Respiratory
acidosis and alkalosis; their causes, mechanism and biochemical
 characteristics.
3.0 Vitamins and Minerals
 Define and classify Vitamins; dietary sources and daily requirements
 The functions and defiencies manifestations of vitamins
 Chemistry and functions of coenzymes
 The groups of elements and elemental content of each group
 Metabolism of minerals
 Homeostasis of minerals and clinical conditions associated with their
excess and deficiencies in diet.
 Dietary sources of minerals, normal blood levels and daily requirements
 Functions of each mineral; Na, K, P ,Cl, S and Ca
4.0 Enzymology
 Basic concept of catalysis
 Enzyme classification
 Mechanism of enzyme activity, factors affecting enzyme activity,
importance of Km & Vmax values.
 Types of enzyme inhibition and their clinical application.
 Enzyme regulation - modes, mechanisms and importance in the human
system.
 Diagnostic and therapeutic importance of enzymes.
5.0 Bioenergetics and Biologic oxidation
 Concepts of bioenergetics in relation to thermodynamic principles as
applied to the human system; Free energy change, Standard free
energy change, Enthalpy, Entropy
 Organization of Electron transport system
 High-energy intermediates
 Substrate level phosphorylation
 Oxidative Phosphorylation –formation of ATP and its regulation - uncouplers
and inhibitors.
 Formation of free radicals, consequences and disposal of free radicals.
6.0 Chemistry of Biomolecules
 Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides
 Proteins-amino acids, peptides; sequences and conformation, fibrous and
globular, physical and chemical, Structural organization and structure-
function relationship of proteins e.g. Hemoglobin, myoglobin and
 collagen;
 Nucleic acids (structure), nucleotides, purines and pyrimidines, nucleoproteins
and viruses
 Lipids- classification, physical, chemical properties and functions, plasma
membrane structure.
7.0 Laboratory Practical
 General introduction: Introduce the students to the general rules and
regulations guiding the use of the laboratory
 pH and Buffers
 Colorimetry
 Enzymes
 Quantitative and qualitative identification of Carbohydrates
 Quantitative and qualitative identification of Proteins
 Quantitative and qualitatives identification of Lipids
 Isolation of DNA