Plant tissues microstructure and metabolites

Recommended Prerequisites

The student must hold basic knowledge of botany, plant taxonomy and systematics, as well as knowledge and skills to follow and deepen topics on plant metabolism and metabolites.

Teaching Methods

Lectures with a strong component of dialogue and application of practical cases, as well as a field class at the Medical School of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra. Autonomy and the development of critical thinking are encouraged by carrying out bibliographic research.

Learning Outcomes

Students should acquire skills for the recognition of medicinal vascular plants, contemplating histological and anatomical aspects that allow the quality control of fragmented or pulverized drugs, as well as some taxonomic aspects. It is also intended to provide knowledge about plant metabolites, with special emphasis on the main groups of secondary metabolites endowed with biological activity.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Particularities of plant cells with special emphasis on the cell wall.

Plant histology: types and particularities of plant tissues.

Anatomy of the main groups of vascular plants.

Application of microscopy to the study of plant drugs: characterization of secretory structures, quality control, identification of contaminants.

Study of the large groups of plant metabolites, with greater emphasis on secondary metabolites: structural characteristics, biosynthesis, biological activities.

Plant biotechnology: concepts; micropropagation and large-scale plant production; genetic transformation of plants for the production of metabolites.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Resolution Problems: 10.0%
Laboratory work or Field work: 20.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

-Plant Anatomy- A Concept-Based Approach to the Structure of Seed Plants Richard Crang, Sheila Lyons-Sobaski, Robert Wise Springer 2018 ISBN: 978-3-319-77315-5

- American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Botanical Pharmacognosy—micrsocopic characterization of botanical medicines, Publisher: CRC Press · Print ISBN: 9781420073263

- Farmacopeia Portuguesa IX (2010) Ed. Instituto Nacional da Farmácia e do Medicamento.

- Proença da Cunha e tal, 2014 Farmacognosia e Fitoquímica, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.