Title of the lecture:

An Introduction to Biochemistry

By:

Professor
Dr. Salar A. Ahmed

MSc,. PhD. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki–Greece

College of Medicine
Hawler Medical Unversity
 What is Biochemistry?

• Biochemistry = Chemistry of life.

• Biochemistry is the study of life on a

molecular level & is concerned with the
chemical constituents of living cells

• Basic principles of biochemistry are

common to all living organisms
• Biochemists use physical and chemical
principles to explain biology at the
molecular level.
How does biochemistry impact you?

Medicine
Agriculture
Industrial applications
Environmental applications
Relation between biochemistry and medicine

1- Protein ……………kwashiorkor, and sickle

cell anemia

2- Lipids ……..atherosclerosis

3- Carbohydrates …………diabetes mellitus

4- Nucleic acids …… genetic disease

Knowledge of biochemistry is essential to
all life sciences
Understanding causes of diseases at
molecular level:

Physical agents
Chemical agents
Oxygen lack
Genetic diseases
Immunological reactions
Endocrine imbalances or deficiency
diseases etc
 Principle Areas of Biochemistry

• Structure and function of biological

macromolecules

• Metabolism: Anabolic and catabolic processes of

life

• Molecular Genetics: How life is replicated and

Regulated
 Organization of Life

• Elements
• Simple organic compounds (monomers)
• Macromolecules (polymers)
• Supramolecular structures
• Organelles
• Cells
• Tissues
• Organisms
 Range of the
sizes of objects
studies by
Biochemist and
Biologist

1 angstrom = 0.1
nm
 Elements of Life

But how many of them exist in life?

Most abundant, essential for all organisms:
Element Human dry wt%
Oxygen 20%
Carbon 50%
Hydrogen 10%
Nitrogen 8.5
Phosphorus 2.5
Sulfur 0.8 %

Less abundant, essential for all organisms 5 common ions

Ion Human dry wt%
Ca 4%
K 1%
Na 0.4%
Mg 0.1 %
Cl 0.4 %

Trace levels, essential for all organism: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn
Trace levels, essential for some organisms: V, Cr, Mo, B, Al, Ga, Sn,
Si, As, Se, I,
 Major complex bimoleculars of cells

Biomolecule Bullding block Major functions

Protein AA Structure and function

Carbohydrate Mono sacharide Storage energy
Lipids FAs & glycerol Storage energy
DNA Deoxyribonuclotides Hereditary information
RNA Ribonuclotidesw Protein biosynthesis
Composition of life

Chemical composition for a man weighting 65 kg

Bimoleculars kg %

Protein 11 17%
Fat 9 13.8%
Carbohydrate 1 1.5%
Water 40 61.6%
Others 4 6.1%
 Many Important Biomolecules are Polymers

lipid protein carbo nucleic

s s acids
monome
r
polyme
r
supramolecula
r
structure
 Lipids

monome
r
polyme
r
supramolecula
r
structure
 Proteins

monome amino
r acid

polyme protein subunit

r
supramolecula
r Enzyme
structure complex
 Carbohydrates

monome
r
polyme
r
supramolecula
r
structure
 Nucleic Acids

monome
r
polyme
r
supramolecula
r
structure
What do we study in biochemistry?
 1- Chemical constituents of life

❖ Carbohydrate
❖ Proteins and anino acids
❖ Lipids
❖ Nucleic acids
❖ Enzymes
❖ Vitamins
❖ Minerals
2-Physiological biochemistry

Digestion and absorption

Plasma proteins
Biological oxidation
Energy rich compounds
Biological oxidation
Respiratory chain
Oxidative phosphorylation
3- Metabolism

Carbohydrate
Proteins
Lipds
Minerals
Hormons
Nuclic acids
Prostaglandin
4-Genetics and molecular biology

Genetics introduction
Nucleotides
Replication
Transcription
Recombinant DNA technology
Human genome project
Gene therapy
5- Clinical chemistry

Insulin and DM
Liver function tests
Kidney function tests
MI
Tumer markers and cancer biochemistry
Jaundice
Free radicals and antioxidants
Water and electrolyte and acid base
balance
Inborn errors of metabolism