📖 Biochemistry
VITAMIN C
BiochemistryVITAMIN C: ASCORBIC ACID, ASCORBATE
Vitamin C benefits the body by holding cells together through collagen synthesis; collagen is a connective tissue that holds muscles, bones, and other tissues together. Vitamin C also aids in wound healing, bone and tooth formation, strengthening blood vessel walls, improving immune system function, increasing absorption and utilization of iron, and acting as an antioxidant.
RDA The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C is 90 mg/day for adult males and 75 mg/day for adult females
Vitamin C Deficiency
Severe vitamin C deficiency result in the disease known as scurvy, causing a loss of collagen strength throughout the body. Loss of collagen results in loose teeth, bleeding and swollen gums, and improper wound healing.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ENZYMES
BiochemistryCLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ENZYMES
The measurement of enzymes level in serum is applied in diagnostic application
Pancreatic Enzymes
Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process where auto digestion of gland was noticed with activation of the certain pancreatic enzymes. Enzymes which involves in pancreatic destruction includes α-amylase, lipase etc.,
1. α-amylase (AMYs) are calcium dependent hydrolyase class of metaloenzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1, 4- α-glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides. The normal values of amylase is in range of 28-100 U/L. Marked increase of 5 to 10 times the upper reference limit (URL) in AMYs activity indicates acute pancreatitis and severe glomerular impairment.
2. Lipase is single chain glycoprotein. Bile salts and a cofactor called colipase are required for full catalytic activity of lipase. Colipase is secreted by pancreas. Increase in plasma lipase activity indicates acute pancreatitis and carcinoma of the pancreas.
Liver Enzymes
Markers of Hepatocellular Damage
1. Aspartate transaminase (AST) Aspartate transaminase is present in high concentrations in cells of cardiac and skeletal muscle, liver, kidney and erythrocytes. Damage to any of these tissues may increase plasma AST levels.
The normal value of AST for male is <35 U/ L and for female it is <31 U/L.
2. Alanine transaminase (ALT) Alanine transaminase is present at high concentrations in liver and to a lesser extent, in skeletal muscle, kidney and heart. Thus in case of liver damage increase in both AST and ALT were noticed. While in myocardial infarction AST is increased with little or no increase in ALT.
The normal value of ALT is <45 U/L and <34 U/L for male and female respectively
Markers of cholestasis
1. Alkaline phosphatases
Alkaline phosphatases are a group of enzymes that hydrolyse organic phosphates at high pH. They are present in osteoblasts of bone, the cells of the hepatobiliary tract, intestinal wall, renal tubules and placenta.
Gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) Gamma-glutamyl-transferase catalyzes the transfere of the γ–glutamyl group from peptides. The activity of GGT is higher in men than in women. In male the normal value of GGT activity is <55 U/L and for female it is <38 U/L.
2. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GLD) Glutamate dehydrogenase is a mitochondrial enzyme found in liver, heart muscle and kidneys.
Muscle Enzymes
1. Creatine Kinase Creatine kinase (CK) is most abundant in cells of brain, cardiac and skeletal.
2. Lactate Dehydrogenase
Lactate dehydrogenase (LD) catalyses the reversible interconversion of lactate and pyruvate.
Water Acid Bases & Buffers -pKa
BiochemistryAcids and bases can be classified as proton donors and proton acceptors, respectively. This means that the conjugate base of a given acid will carry a net charge that is more negative than the corresponding acid. In biologically relavent compounds various weak acids and bases are encountered, e.g. the acidic and basic amino acids, nucleotides, phospholipids etc.
Weak acids and bases in solution do not fully dissociate and, therefore, there is an equilibrium between the acid and its conjugate base. This equilibrium can be calculated and is termed the equilibrium constant = Ka. This is also referred to as the dissociation constant as it pertains to the dissociation of protons from acids and bases.
In the reaction of a weak acid:
HA <-----> A- + H+
the equlibrium constant can be calculated from the following equation:
Ka = [H+][A-]/[HA]
As in the case of the ion product:
pKa = -logKa
Therefore, in obtaining the -log of both sides of the equation describing the dissociation of a weak acid we arrive at the following equation:
-logKa = -log[H+][A-]/[HA]
Since as indicated above -logKa = pKa and taking into account the laws of logrithms:
pKa = -log[H+] -log[A-]/[HA]
pKa = pH -log[A-]/[HA]
From this equation it can be seen that the smaller the pKa value the stronger is the acid. This is due to the fact that the stronger an acid the more readily it will give up H+ and, therefore, the value of [HA] in the above equation will be relatively small.
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
BiochemistryPHOSPHOLIPIDS
These are complex or compound lipids containing phosphoric acid, in addition to fatty acids, nitrogenous base and alcohol
There are two classes of phospholipids
1. Glycerophospholipids (or phosphoglycerides) that contain glycerol as the alcohol.
2. Sphingophospholipids (or sphingomyelins) that contain sphingosine as the alcohol
Glycerophospholipids
Glycerophospholipids are the major lipids that occur in biological membranes. They consist of glycerol 3-phosphate esterified at its C1 and C2 with fatty acids. Usually, C1 contains a saturated fatty acid while C2 contains an unsaturated fatty acid.
In glycerophospholipids, we refer to the glycerol residue (highlighted red above) as the "glycerol backbone."
Glycerophospholipids are Amphipathic
Glycerophospholipids are sub classified as
1. Phosphatidylethanolamine or cephalin also abbreviated as PE is found in biological membranes and composed of ethanolamine bonded to phosphate group on diglyceride.
2. Phosphatidylcholine or lecithin or PC which has chloline bonded with phosphate group and glycerophosphoric acid with different fatty acids like palmitic or hexadecanoic acid, margaric acid, oleic acid. It is a major component of cell membrane and mainly present in egg yolk and soy beans.
3. Phosphatidic acid (phosphatidate) (PA)
It consists of a glycerol with one saturated fatty acid bonded to carbon-1 of glycerol and an unsaturated fatty acid bonded to carbon-2 with a phosphate group bonded to carbon-3.
4.Phosphatidylserine (PS)
This phospholipid contains serine as an organic compound with other main components of phospholipids. Generally it found on the cytosolic side of cell membranes.
5. Phosphoinositides
It is a group of phospholipids which are negatively charged and act as a a minor component in the cytosolic side of eukaryotic cell membranes. On the basis of different number of phosphate groups they can be different types like phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP), phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate(PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol trisphosphate (PIP3). PIP, PIP2 and PIP3 and collectively termed as phosphoinositide.
6. Cardiolipin :
lt is so named as it was first isolated from heart muscle. Structurally, a cardiolipin consists of two molecules of phosphatidic acid held by an additional glycerol through phosphate groups. lt is an important component of inner mitochondrial membrane. Cardiolipin is the only phosphoglyceride that possesses antigenic properties.