Corsi di studio in
Farmacia - Chimica e tecnologia farmaceutiche

Educational Goals

This course aims to provide the students with a rational and logical biosynthetic approach to classify secondary metabolites of vegetable origin and of interest for their biological activity

 Outcomes

The student acquires a basic knowledge on the classification and the role played by secondary metabolites in plants and, above all, on their chemical nature and potential biological activity.

 Programme of the course

            Definition of Phytochemistry – How to deal with a phytochemical problem – Library Search and phytochemical studies - Bioguided assay – Approaches to the study of the chemical composition of a plant extract or distillate.

            General introduction to chemotaxonomy – Introduction to chemical ecology – Definition of environment - Primary and secondary metabolism (definitions) – Biosynthetic pathways in vascular plants – How to study a metabolic pathway, biological and isotopical approaches: an introduction

            Phenolic compounds – General classification – Scikimate pathway – Characterization of phenols (phenols and phenolic acids) -  Phenyl propanoids (cynnamic acids, phenylpropenoids, coumarins, furanocoumarins, lignanes) – Flavonoids: biosynthesis – Classification (chalcones, flavanones, aurones, flavones, flavonols, antocyanidines, isoflavones) – Quinones: malonate pathway – Classification (quinones, naphtoquinones, antraquinones, quinone isoprenoids). Phenolic compounds of interest in the pharmaceutical and food fields

            Terpenoids – General classification – Mevalonate pathway – Other biosynthetic pathways. Monoterpenoids: classification and biosynthesis; main monoterpenic skeletons – Definition of essential oils. - Sesquiterpenoids: classification and biosynthesis, main sesquiterpenic skeletons – Diterpenoids: classification and biosynthesis, main diterpenic skeletons - Triterpenoids: classification and biosynthesis, main triterpenic skeletons - Carotenoids: classification and biosynthesis, main carotenoid skeletons - Terpenoids of interest in the pharmaceutical and food fields

            Alkaloids – General classification –Alkaloids deriving from ornithine, introduction to their biosynthesis (tropane and pyrrolizidine alkaloids) – Alkaloids deriving from tyrosine, introduction to their biosynthesis (opium alkaloids and curarins) – Alkaloids deriving from tryptophan (ergot, vinca and rawolfia alkaloids); biosynthesis of lysergic acid – Minor alkaloids - Alkaloids of interest in the pharmaceutical and food fields

Books of Reference:

PAUL M. DEWICK: Medicinal Natural Products, A byosinthetic approach John Wiley & Sons

BRUNETON: Pharmacognosie, Phytochimie, Plantes medicinales, Publisher: Tec Doc - Paris

Backgroung

Basic Biology, Botany and Organic Chemistry

Examination

The examination consist of a written test

Teaching language:

Italian