Ateneo - UPO

Micronutrients and Macronutrients. Metabolic pathways of biosynthesis and assimilation. Molecular basis of some pathological conditions related to nutrition

Biochimica della Nutrizione – Leuzzi, Bellocco, Barreca – Ed Zanichelli 2013
Le basi molecolari della nutrizione – Arienti – Ed. Piccin 2015
Biochimica con aspetti clinici – Devlin – Ed. Edises 2011
Biochimica della Nutrizione - Pignatti - Ed. Esculapio 2022

Research article: Robinson, et al., An atlas of human metabolism. Sci. Signal. 13, eaaz1482 (2020).

The course aims to guide the student towards understanding the transformations at the molecular level that involve micronutrients and macronutrients in human nutrition

Basic principles of organic chemistry and biochemistry

lectures with powerpoint presentations, guided exercises, use of rasmol for visualization of structures, laboratory activities.

The control of learning in itinere is carried out through periodic tests provided to students with subsequent resolution in the classroom and self-assessment and laboratory activities.

Oral exam, three questions organized in such a way that in addition to the descriptive part the student reproduces the steps of the biochemical reactions with the structural formulas and explains laboratoriy procedures.
Excellence is reached when the student proves to have a critical knowledge of the correlations between the biochemical-nutritional processes. Sufficiency can be achieved by describing the absorption / transformation of the main micronutrients and macronutrients.

Micronutrients, vitamins and coenzymes. Minerals. Structure and function correlations. Visualization of molecular structures with rasmol software. Laboratory activities on proteomic analyses of food.
Macronutrients, pathways of assimilation and biosynthesis. Biosynthesis of amino acids. Biosynthesis of lipids (cholesterol, fatty acids). Fiber metabolism, fructose metabolism. Functions of the intestinal microbiota.
Breastfeeding, allergies to milk proteins. Nutraceuticals. Biochemical-molecular bases of the main pathological conditions related to human nutrition (hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, celiac disease, ethanol toxicity)

The expected results are related to the acquisition of knowledge about the molecular mechanisms related to human nutrition. The student is expected to be able to apply the knowledge acquired in the understanding of the nutritional status of the individual. The student should demonstrate that he has acquired the autonomy of judgment and communication skills related to the dissemination of the processes of nutritional biochemistry.
Acquisition of the ability to deepen and update independently, by reading texts and scientific articles provided by the teacher during lessons and made available through the educational platform DIR.