Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
A. Introduction
Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
• The science concerned with the chemical basis of life, as applied to pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical,
biological science
• Science concerned with the chemical constituents of living and the reaction they undergo
• The application of chemistry to the study of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level
Chirality of Amino Acids
Purification of Proteins
1. Column Chromatography
2. Size Exclusion Chromatography
3. HPLC
4. SDS-PAGE (Sodium Dodecylsulfated Polycylamide Gel Electrophoresis)
5. Two Dimensional Electrophoresis
6. Partition Chromatography
7. Ion-exchange Chromatography
8. Absorption Chromatography
9. Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography
10. Affinity Chromatography
2. NMR
• Examines the structure of protein in solution
• Advantage: Structures are determined in solution
• Disadvantage: Size of proteins that can be analyzed are limited to smaller protein
3. Edman Raction
• Method of determining primary sequence or structure of protein
• New methods of primary sequence determination includes mass spectrometry and genomics
Protein Denaturation
• Unfolding and disorganization of protein structure without hydrolysis of polypeptide bond.
• Involves the dissociation of the weak interaction of the protein which causes the breakdown of secondary,
tertiary, quarternary structure
• Ultracentrifugation
• Useful in separating cellular organelles and biomolecules. It employees high speed centrifugal force
and gravitational force
• Gel Filtration Chromatography
• Glucagon
• Produced by the alpha cells of the pancreas
• It is secreted in response to low blood glucose level
• It increases the sugar level
3. Globular Protein
• Has more complex structure but water soluble
• Heme protein
• Fibrous and globular proteins are described by tertiary structure
• Myoglobulin
• Diffuses and stores oxygen in muscles, releases it in cases of oxygen deprivation
• Hemoglobulin
• Protein in erythrocytes
• Transports oxygen to tissues and returns CO2 to the lungs
• Biomedical Implication of Hemoglobin and Myoglobulin
• Prolonged exposure to high altitude elevates 2,3-BPG synthesis
• Methemoglobinemia
• Sickle cell anemia: Caused by mutations that exchange Val for Glu not Leu
• Thalassemia: Absences of one or more peptide chain in Hgb
• Myoglobinuria is indicative of muscle injury colors the urine dark brown
• Iron Deficiency or Impaired synthesis of RBC (due to B9 and B12 deficiency) causes anemia
• Hb1Ac indicates the mean blood glucose concentration during the past 6-8 weeks
4. Protective Protein
• Ig G - Major form of immunoglobulin, the only Ig that crosses the placenta
• Ig M - 1st Ig formed immunization but later gives way to Ig G. Responsible for A, B, AB and O blood
gropus. Larges Ig and is capable of opsonization
• Ig A - Found in exocrine gland secretion (Saliva, tears and sweat)
• Ig D - Least common
• Ig E - Participates in reactions that distorts mast cell and basophils
Protein Digestion
• Endopeptidase - First enzyme to act
• Pepsin in the gastric juice
• Trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase secreted into the small intestine
• Exopeptidase
• Carboxypeptidase - Secreted into the small intestine by the pancreas
• Aminopeptidase - Secreted by intestinal mucosal cell
• Dipeptidase - Hydrolyze ansorbed dipeptides in the brush border of the small intestine
Hormonal Control of Protein Digestion
• Gastrin
• Secreted by pancreas in response to entry of dietary protein
• Stimulates HCl secretion by parietal cell
• Stimulates pepsinogen secretion
• Secretin
• Secreted by duodenum during passage of the acidic contents with the partially digested proteins and fats
• Stimulates pancreas to secret water and carbonic acid
• Cholecytokinin
• Secreted by the duodenum
• Releases trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase and carboxypeptidase from pancrease
Marasmus vs Kwashiorkor
• Marasmus - Is a protein calorie malnutrition due to chronic deficiency of calories despite adequate intake of
protein
• Kwashiorkor - Is a protein calorie malnutrition where there is sufficient calorie intake in the presence of a
negative protein consumption
C. Enzyme
Enzymes
• Biological catalyst
• Act best at 35-40 ºC
• All enzyme are protein except ribozyme
General Component
1. Haloenzyme
• Intact enzyme with a bound co-factor
• Active part of the enzyme
2. Apoenzyme
• Protein part that has no bound co-factor
• Inactive part of enzyme
• Proenzyme - The inactive form of the enzyme
Enzyme Kinetic
• Study the rate of enzyme catalyzed reaction and the factors that affect these rate
• Clinically important for diagnosis based on changes in enzyme activity or amount
• Important in the study of potential therapeutic agent
Formula for Simple Enzyme Catalyzed Reaction
E+S ES ⇀ E + P E = Free Enzyme; S = Substrate; ES = Enzyme substrate complex; P = Product
Michaelis -Menten Equation
D. Nucleic Acid
Nucleic Acid
• Nitrogenous base is the most fundamental component
• Nucleoside: Base attached to pentose sugar
• Nucleotide: Nucleoside with one or more phosphate
• Nitrogenous Base ➝ Pentose Sugar ( 𝛽 -N- glycosidic bond)
• Pentose Sugar ➝ Pentose sugar (in polynucleotide ) Phosphodiester bond
• Additional phosphates are linked by acid anhydride bonds in mononucleotide
• Nucleic Acid are polymers of nucleotide
• Molecular repositories for genetic information
• Protein structure and cell constituents are products of information programmed into the nucleotide sequence of a
cell’s nucleic acid
Nitrogenous Bases
• Pyrimidine - Composed of a 6 membered ring only
• Uracil - Carbonyl group (C=O) at C2 and C4
• Cytosine - Amino (NH2)group at C4, Carbonyl group (C=O) at C2
• Thymine - Methyl (CH3)group at C5, Carbonyl group (C=O) at C2 and C4
•Purine - Composed of a 6 membered and a 5 membered nitrogen containing ring fused together.
•Adenine - Amino (NH2) group at C2
•Guanine - Amino (NH2) group at C2, Carbonyl (C=O) group at C6
DNA
• The genetic information stored in the DNA’s nucleotide sequence serves as template for
• The information for synthesis of all proteins in cells and the entire organism (transcribed)
• The information inherited by the daughter cell or offspring (replicated)
• Replication occurs in semi-conservative manner
• DNA specifies the nucleotide sequence of the RNA which in turn dictates the amino acid sequence of every
protein
• Gene: DNA segment that contains the information required for biosynthesis of a specific RNA and a specific
protein
• Double stranded
• May be linear or circular
• Formed by nucleotides joined together by 3’-5’ phosphodiester linkage forming the backbone
• Strands are Anti-Parallel:
3’ ————————————-5’
5’ ————————————-3’
• Chargaff’s Rule: A-T (2 Bonds); G-C (3 Bonds)
• Number of Purines = Number of Pyrimidine
• Template or Non- Coding Strand - Where genetic information resides; transcribed
• Coding Strand - Opposing complementary strand
• Double helix structure was first proposed by James and Francis Crick
• Grooves serves as attachment for regular protein
• DNA occurs in 6 forms but the DNA within the human cells normally are in B-configuration
• B-DNA - Most stable
• Z-DNA the only left handed structure
• A-DNA
• C-DNA
• D-DNA
• E-DNA
Replication
• Duplication of DNA prior to cell division for inheritance of each daughter cell
• Helicases separate DNA strand
• Topaisomerase corrects for supercoiling
• Type
• Type I - Makes transient in one strand
• Type II - Makes transcient in both strand
• Primase
• DNA Polymerase
• DNA with 3’ end near replication fork is called the Leading strand
• Lagging strand/ Okazaki fragment has its end near the replication fork
• DNA polymerase remove primers
• DNA polymerase I has proof reading abilities
• DNA polymerase II has repair capabilities
• Ligase
Transcription:
• Initiation
• The region of DNA that serves as a transcription initiation site is called a “Promoter”
• In bacteria, several genes are often co-transcribed from a single promoter (rarely happens in eukaryote)
• Prokaryotic structural genes which are transcribed as a unit along with their regulatory element called operon
• Actinomycin-D is a sample drug that intercalates between two GC base pair
• Elongation
• Sequential addition of ribonucleotides to the growing RNA strand via RNA polymerase
• Unlike the DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase do not need primer
• RNA is synthesized in 5’ to 3’ direction from the DNA template strand/ antisense/ nonsense/ non-coding strand
• Splicing
• shnRNA is composed of introns (inactive) and exon (active; required for translation)
• Introns are removed and the exons are linked together by the splicesome
Types of Mutation
• Mutation affects the amino acid sequence and the function of the protein
• Point - A single base change
• Silent - A change that specifies the same amino acid (eg CGA➝ CGG)
• Missense - A change that specifies a different amino acid (eg CGA ➝CCA)
• Non-sense - A change that produces a stop codon (CGA ➝ UGA)
• Insertion Frameshift - An addition of one or more bases
• Deletion Frameshift - A loss of one or more bases
• Transitional - A purine replaces another purine or a pyramidine replaces another pyramidine
• Transversional - A purine replaces a pyramidine and vice versa.
E. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
• Hydrates of Carbon
• Polyhydroxy aldehyde or polyhydroxy ketone or substance that yields these compounds
• "Polyhydroxy" means it contains more than one hydroxyl group
• Polydroxy groups account for sweet taste
Chemistry of Carbohydrates
• Stereoisomer - Compounds with the same formula and attachment of atom but with different arrangement of
atom in space
• Enantiomer - Stereoisomer in which one isomer is the non-superimposable mirror image of the other
• L-Isomer - hydroxyl group (-OH) farthest from the carbonyl carbon is on the Left
• D-Isomer - Hydroxyl group (-OH) farthest from the carbonyl carbon is on the Right; Cells prefer this
configuration
• Epimer - Stereoisomer which differ in the arrangement of substituent in only one position. In monosaccharide
epimers, the position of -OH distinguishes the monosaccharide. The carbonyl group remains the same.
• Epimerase - A type of enzyme responsible for inerconversion of epimer
Carbohydrate Formula
• Fischer Formula - Linear formula which can be depicted in the D or L form
• Haworth Formula - The cyclic form of the Fischer formula which can be depicted in the alpha and beta form
• Furanose - Five membered ring (eg Fructose)
• Pyranose - Six membered ring (eg Glucose); in biological solution, this is the most stable form of glucose
• The cyclic structure is a hemiacetal formed by a reaction between the aldehyde group and a hydroxyl group (R-
OC-OH)
• During cyclization, the carbonyl carbon transforms into a new stereocenter referred to as the anomeric center
• ocate the oxygen in the ring. There would be a carbon on either side of the oxygen. The carbon with the attached
-OH group is the anomeric carbon
• Depending on the position of the -OH group, anomeric carbon can either be in the alpha or beta form
• Alpha - OH group axial Down
• Beta - OH group axial Up
Classification of Carbohydrates
1. According to the Number of Monosaccaharide Unit Linked
• Monosaccharide - Cannot be hydrolyzed into simple carbohydrate unit. Basic carbohydrate unit of
cellular metabolism
• Disaccharide - Yields two monosaccharide units linked together. Often used by plant or animal to
transport monosaccharide from one cell to another
• Monosaccharide and Disaccharide generally end in "ose". They are water soluble carbohydrate which
characterize them as sweet taste and are called "sugar"
• Oligosaccharide - Two to six monosaccharide units linked together. The word "Oligo" means small or few.
Free oligosaccharide that contains more than 2 monosaccharide are rarely found in nature
• Polysaccharide - Macromolecule substance that can be hydrolyzed to yield monosaccharide unit.
Important for structural support, particularly in plant and also as storage depot for monosaccharide
which cells use for energy
2. According to the Number of Carbons
• Triose - C3H6O3
• Tetrose - C4H8O4
• Pentose - C5H10O5
3. According to the Functional Group
• Aldose - Aldehyde (-CHO) group is present
• Ketose - Ketone ( C=O) group is present
4. According to the Spatial Orientation
• D-Isomer - Hydroxyl group (-OH) farthest from the carbonyl carbon is on the Right
• L-Isomer - Hydroxyl group (-OH) farthest from the carbonyl carbon is on the Left
5. According to Rotation in Plane of Polarized Light
• (+) - To the Right
• (-) - To the Left
Importance of Carbohydrates
1. Carbohydrates are very effective energy yielding nutrients
2. Carbohydrates can serve as very effective building material
3. Many carbohydrates are important water soluble molecules
Monosaccharide
• Glucose
• AKA Blood Sugar or Physiological Sugar
• Most abundant and important monosaccharide
• Occurs in the form of Beta D Glucose
• Synthesized by animals from glycerol and amino acid, but most is derived ultimately from plants
• Synthesized by plants from carbon dioxide and water (Photosynthesis)
• Stored as starch by plants or used to synthesize cellulose
• Stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle of animals
• Converted to sorbitol in vivo in diabetic patients causing cataract
• Precursor for all other carbohydrates in the body
• Produced from complete hydrolysis of starch and in hydrolysis of maltose, sucrose and lactose
• Fructose
• AKA Levulose; Fruit sugar
• Constituent of table sugar and inulin
• Sweetest monosaccharide
• Can be converted to glucose in the liver
• Fructose intolerance leads to hypogycemia
• Ribose
• Component of nucleic acid and co-factor
• Co-Factor- Organic molecule that helps the enzyme
• Xylulose
• Found in cases of pentosuria
Xylulose (Xylose Reductase) --> Xylitol (Sugar alcohol)
• Galactose
• Produced from hydrolysis of lactose
• Can also be converted to glucose in the liver & metabolized
• Biosynthesized in the mammary glands
• Failure to metabolize causes galactosemia and further, cataract
• Arabinose
• Found In gum arabic, in vivo in glycoprotein
• Xylose
• Found in wood gum
• Obtained by boiling corn cobs
• Diagnostic aid for malabsorption studies treatment
Disaccharide
• Sugars which yield 2 same or different monosaccharide units/residue on hydrolysis
• Maltose
• Glucose + Glucose
• AKA Malt sugar, Beer Sugar
• Product of partial starch hydrolysis by amylase
• Cellobiose
• Product of partial cellulose hydrolysis
• Sucrose
• AKA Table sugar, Beet sugar, Saccharum
• Most common disaccharide
• Also called invert sugar since on hydrolysis optical activity is inverted
• Glucose + Fructose
• Non-reducing sugar
• Lactose
• AKA Milk sugar
• Alkali rearrangement produces lactulose
• Deficiency both diarrhea & flatulence
• Lactase - Breaks down lactose
• Sucrase - Breaks down sucrose
Trisaccharide
• Maltotriose
• 2 Glucose units
• Raffinose/Melitose/Melitriose
• 1 glucose + 1 fructose + 1 galactose unit
• Gentianose
• 2 glucose + 1 fructose unit
Polysaccharide
• Agar
• Sulfated galactose units; from seaweed
• Inulin
• Polyfructan and used in the evaluation of GFR
• Dextrin
• Polyglucan intermediary product of starch hydrolysis
• Dextran
• Plasma expander
• Polyglucan synthesized from the action of non-pathogenic gram positive cocci on sucrose
• Chitin
• Principal component of the exoskeleton of arthropods, crustaceans and some mushroom
• Peptidoglycan/Murein
• N-acetylglucosamine + N-acetylmuramic acid
• Hyaluronic Acid
• N-acetylglucosamine + glucoronate unit; tissue barrier contributor, joint lubricant and shock absorbent
• Hyaluronidase
• Clinically used to increase absorption of solution administered by clysis (IM & ID)
• Heparid
• Anticoagulant mucopolysaccharide
• Activates antithrombin
• Chrondroitin
• N-acetylgalactosamine + glucoronate unit
• For osteoarthritis
Starch Glycogen
Forms deep blue complex of starch - I2 Forms a deep red color with I2 solution
with Iodine solution due to amylose
Carbohydrate Digestion
• MoNosaccharide are directly absorbed
• Disaccharide requires enzyme of the small intestinal surface for hydrolysis into monosaccharide
• Polysaccharide depends on pancreatic amylase and intestinal surface enzyme for digestion
• Polysaccharide and disaccharide needs to be hydrolyzed before absorption can occur
Chemical Test for Carbohydrates
• Molisch Test / Alpha Naphthol Reaction
• General test for CHO`s involving the formation of furfurals or hydroxyfurfurals
• Uses alpha-naphthol and concentrated sulfuric acid
• (+) Purple ring at the junction of the two liquids
• Anthrone`s Test
• Also a general test for carbohydrate
• (+) Green or Blue green colored solution
• Benedict`s Test
• Test for reducing sugar (mono & di except sucrose)
• Uses CuSO4, Sodium citrate (chelating/sequestering agent that prevents premature reduction of Cu+2)
• (+) Brick Red ppt
• Nylander`s Test
• Test for reducing sugar
• Bi(OH)2NO3
• (+) Black ppt
• Barfoed`s Test
• Test for reducing monosaccharide
• Uses Cu(CH3COO)2 , CH3COOH
• (+) Brick Red ppt
• Mucic Acid Test/ Galacturonic Acid
• Specific Test for Galactose
• Uses conc HNO3
• (+) Sandy Crystal
• Fehling`s Test
• Test for reducing sugar
• Uses CuSO4, KNaC4H4O6 (Chelating/Sequestering Agent)
• (+) Brick Red ppt
• Seliwanoff`s Test/Resorcinol Test
• Specific Test for pentose
• (+) Red Color
• Bial`s Test/ Bial`s Orcinol Test
• Specific test for Ketose
• (+) Green Color with ppt
• Osozone Formation/Kowarsky Reaction
• Means of producing precipitated sugar derivative especially mannose
• Tauber`s Test/ Aminoguanidine Reaction
• Also. A ketose test
• (+) Bright Reddish Purple Color
• All test for reducing sugar are affected by Vitamin-C, Glucoronidase
F. Lipids
Lipid
• Biopolymersrelated by their physical rather chemical properties
• Ester of long chain fatty acid and glycerol; including fats, waxes and fixed oil
• Principal stored form of energy
Simple Lipid
• Ester of fatty acid with various alcohol
• Fats - Ester of fatty acid with glycerol. Fixed oil are fats in liquid state
• Waxes - Ester of fatty acid with high molecular weight (HMW) monohydric alcohol
Complex Lipid
• Contains other groups in addition to the alcohol & the fatty acid
• Phospholipid
• Contains fatty acid, glycerol or sphingol/sphingosine, phosphate and nitrogenous compound
• Basic unit: Phosphatidic acid
• Major component of cell membrane (eg glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid)
• Lecithin
• Phosphatidyl choline
• Most abundant phospholipid of the cell membrane
• Dipalmitoyl lecithin - A major constituent of the surfactant that prevents the adherence of the inner
surface of the lungs together
• Essential for blood clotting
• Phospholipase - Enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipid into fatty acid and other lipophilic substance
• PLA1, PLA2, - Gives lysophospholipid
• PLC - Removes glycerol-PO4, gives diacylglycerol
• PLD - Removes nitrogen containing compound, gives phosphatidate
• Other Important Phospholipid
• Phosphatidylinositol - Precursor for secondary messenger
• Phosphatidylglycerol - Precursor for cardiolipins, the major lipid of the mitochondria
• Plasmalogen - Resembles cephalin and are found in the brain and muscle, the only difference is that instead
of an ester group is present and the alkyl group is unsaturated
• Sphingomyelin - Made up of fatty acid, sphingol, choline and phosphate. Building block of nervous tissue
membrane
• Sphingoside - Plus fatty acid gives ceramide
• Glycolipid/ Glycosphingolipid
• Contains fatty acid, sphingol and carbohydrates
• Ceramide - Is a basic unit
• Galactosylceramide - In neural tissue and glucosylceramide in extraneutral tissue
• Cerebroside
• Glucose/galactose + ceramide
• Lipids with glucose/galactose or both + 1 fatty acid + sphingosine with no PO4 and glycerol
• Gangliosides
• Glucose/galactose + ceramide + neuramic acid
• Lipid with glucose/galactose + 1 fatty acid + sphingosine with one or more molecule of neuraminic acid
• Cytolipins
• Glucose/galactose + fatty acid + sphingosine
• Globoside
• Contains N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine
Fatty Acid
• Building blocks for triglyceride and phospholipid
• Obtained from hydrolysis of fats
• Biosynthesized from acetyl CoA
• Saturated Fatty Acid - Are regular carboxylic acid having even number of C atoms and as components of lipid,
they impart high melting point
• Unsaturated Fatty Acid - Can be monosaturated or polysaturated and as components of lipid they impart low
melting point
• Linoleic Acid - Dietary precursor for arachidonic acid
• Linolenic Acid - Omega 3
• Arachidonic Acid - Precursor for eicosanoid
• Timnodonic Acid - Important component of fish oil
• Cervonic Acid - Important component of fish oil
• Triglycerol
• Triester of fatty acid with glycerol
• Storage form of fatty acid
• ATP Consumption:
• Hexokinase Reaction 1
• PFK Reaction 1
2
• ATP Generation
• Gly-3-PO4 Dehydrogenase Rxn 6
• PG kinase Reaction 2
• Pyruvate Kinase Reaction 2
10
4 Fate of Pyruvate Anaerobic Conversion of Pyruvate to Lactate in Actively Contracting Muscle
• NADH Is normally re-oxidized to NAD+ in the mitochondrion, but in the absence of oxygen, it is re-oxidized by
reducing pyruvate to lactate
• Glycosis is erythrocytes, always leads to lactate formation both in aerobic and in anaerobic condition
Insulin vs Glucagon
Insulin
• Glucokinase, Phosphokinase-1 (PPK-1) and dependent kinases are induced by insulin
Glucagon
• Induces cAMP, which in turn activates a cAMP-dependent kinase which inhibits glucokinase and pyruvate
kinase
• Decrease F-2,6-bisphosphate synthesis and increases F-2,6 bisphosphate degradation
• Release from the pancreas into the blood when the blood glucose level are low, activating gluconeogenesis and
glycogenolysis
Clinical Aspect
• Aldose And pyruvate kinase deficiency leads to hemolytic anemia
• Muscle PFK-1 deficiency leads to low exercise tolerance particularly after high carbohydrate diet
• Glucosuria does not necessarily indicate DM
Gluconeogenesis
• Synthesis of glucose from non-carbohydrate precursor
• Alanine & other glucogenic Amino Acid (except Leu & Lys)
• Lactate & Pyruvate
• Glycerol
Non-Oxidative Stage
• 3 molecules of ribulose-5-phosphate are converted to 2 molecule of fructose-6-phosphate and one
molecule of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Glycogenesis
• Pathway consist of :
• Glucose transporter
• Hexokinase (Muscle) or Glucokinase (Liver)
• Phosphoglucomutase
• UDP Glucose Phyrophosphorylase
• Glycogen Synthase
• Branching Enzyme
Glycogenolysis
• Consist of:
• Glycogen Phosphorylase
• Debranching Enzyme
• Phosphoglucomutase