Drugs of Natural Origin

Recommended Prerequisites

The recommended prerequisites include what is taught in the 1 st cycle courses in the area of Pharmacy, Medicine, Chemical Sciences, Biochemistry, Bioanalytical and Medical Sciences, and other courses considered appropriate by the Master Coordination Board.

Teaching Methods

Lectures: lectures with a strong component of dialogue and application in practical cases, essentially using the audiovisual media ("data show").

Learning Outcomes

The program of the Course Unit"Drugs of Natural Origin" includes a set of multidisciplinary knowledge about plants and drugs of natural origin, ranging from plant biology to the phytochemical characterization of the active metabolites and demonstration of its biological activities with therapeutic potential.
With this course we intend to achieve the skills and the following objectives:
- Recognize the importance of natural products in drug discovery.
- To help students to realize the importance of plants for health.
- Check knowledgeable about medicinal plants and their active metabolites, ranging from chemotaxonomy and ethnopharmacology up to different extraction processes, characterization and determination of phytochemical bioactive constituents using different methodologies, demonstration of biological activity, and quality control of medicinal plants and extracts.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

- Main groups of vascular plants with medicinal interest.
- Chemistry of natural products: metabolites of therapeutic interest (phenolic compounds, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids).
- The importance of medicinal plants as a therapeutic resource and as a source of drugs. Examples of therapeutic success.
- Criteria and methods of selection of raw materials: ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology and chemotaxonomy.
- Extraction techniques, isolation and structural identification approach, with strategies that combine chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.
- General procedures for bioactivity screening and evaluation of the structure/ activity.
- Quality, safety, effectiveness in herbal health products.

Head Lecturer(s)

Artur Manuel Bordalo Machado Figueirinha

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Research work: 100.0%

Bibliography

- J. García-Conde. Patología General - Semiología Clínica y Fisiopatología.
- Editora: McGraw-Hill – Interamericana; Madrid 2004
- Fisiopatologia – Fundamentos e Aplicações. Coord. Anabela Mota Pinto, 2007, LIDEL.
- Bibliografia apropriada, a recomendar e/ou fornecer, para temas específicos
São igualmente os diapositivos utilizados na lecionação dos diferentes temas.