Corso di Laurea in Tecniche Erboristiche

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

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

Knowing of the biosynthetic pathways of secondary (specialised) metabolism of plants and understanding the relationships between the biosynthesised metabolites within the main classes into which they are classified.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

Recognise and correctly classify the molecules of secondary/specialised plant metabolism.

MAKING JUDGMENTS

Knowing how to recognise the class to which the secondary/specialised metabolites belong based on the chemical structure.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Ability to express themselves in appropriate terms about the biosynthetic pathways of the secondary/specialised metabolism of plants.

LEARNING SKILLS

Ability to independently consult and understand bibliographical sources to support teaching and to self-assess preparation.

Programme:

            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

The course consists of 5 CFU of face-to-face lectures equal to 35 hours.

The course will be delivered IN PRESENCE.

The final exam is a written exam consisting of one question requiring the classification and description of the biosynthetic pathway of a major class of compounds and its subgroup in detail (maximum score 16 points) and one question requiring the identification and classification of five molecules (maximum score 16 points). The duration of the test is two hours. Students will only pass the test if they achieve the required minimum on both questions (minimum score 9 points for each question).