Metabolism

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge in Organic Chemistry; Analytical Chemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Anatomophysiology is recommended. Good skills in the English language are also convenient. 

Teaching Methods

The lectures are exhibition of the most important concepts about the different aspects of the metabolism of different organs, trying to integrate this information with guidance for seeking and acquiring knowledge needed to set goals. Students are encouraged to participate in the lectures, analyzing case studies that provide acquisition and application of knowledge.

The laboratory classes illustrate relevant aspects studied in the lectures, facilitating the consolidation of concepts and intend to teach students to think, to identify and solve problems, to present and discuss the results. 

Learning Outcomes

Metabolism encompasses a huge range of skills essential for the bioanalytical areas, including nutrition, clinical analysis, toxicological and bromatological.

Students should know and understand the key metabolic pathways in the human body and functions of the major components of the diet, bioenergetics, integration of metabolism and its regulation, essential knowledge for understanding the health status or disease; the knowledge gained will help to develop skills to understand the analytical evaluation applied to the clinic, to the food, environmental, nutritional status and xenobiotic toxicity mechanisms. The experimental work illustrate and give emphasis to some of the relevant programmatic aspects of lectures, facilitating the consolidation of knowledge and skills training to identify and solve problems, adapt to new situations the proposed methodologies, to present and discuss the results.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Lectures

Metabolic pathways; Cellular energy forms and their functions; organs functions and regulation of metabolism. Metabolic specificity of the organs

Metabolism of glucids; Glycolysis; Krebs cycle and aerobic ATP synthesis. Glycogen metabolism; gluconeogenesis and pentose shunt; Glucose homeostasis; Regulation and changes in the carbohydrates metabolism

Metabolism and organization of lipids; Oxidation, biosynthesis and storage of fatty acids; Ketogenesis. Changes and atherosclerosis

Metabolism of proteins and amino acids; Balance and Turnover; Biosynthesis of amino acids and biogenic amines

Integration of metabolic pathways; Adaptation and interrelation of different nutritional status

Importance to understand the analytical evaluation applied to the clinic, to the food, environmental, nutritional status and xenobiotic toxicity

Practicals

Digestion of disaccharides and polysaccharides; Quantification of lactate, phospholipids, cholesterol and urea in human serum; Lipids extraction

Head Lecturer(s)

José Barata Antunes Custódio

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

D. Voet; J. G. Voet. Biochemistry. 4^rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. USA.

J.M. Berg, J. L. Tymoczko, L. Stryer. Biochemistry. 5^th Edition, Freeman, New York.

T. Devlin. Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations. 4^thEd. Wiley-Liss, NY