INTRODUCTION TO BIOCHEMISTRY
temperature.
 Biochemistry can be defined as the science
concerned
 with the chemical basis of life (Greek bios
“life”).
o -the chemistry of life or the chemistry
of living organisms.
 Since cells are the structural units of living
systems. Thus, biochemistry can also be
described as the science concerned with the
chemical constituents of living cells and with
the reactions and they undergo.
 Because life depends on biochemical
reactions, biochemistry has become the basic
language of all biologic sciences.
 Biochemistry is the study of biomolecules
that are present within living organisms.
These biomolecules are usually large
molecules, called macromolecules.
DEFINITION OF BIOCHEMISTRY
 deals with the chemistry of living organisms
 deals with chemical processes which go on in
living matter
 study of the structure, composition, and
chemical reactions of substances in living
systems.  found in cells, determine their structures,
 DNA molecule
 Protein structure
 Virus
 Pepsin enzyme
IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY
 Biochemistry serves as a central component
of all health sciences including microbiology,
genetics, physiology, nutrition, and medicine.
APPLICATION OF BIOCHEMISTRY TO MEDICINE
 Prevent and treat health related problems
 It will set the pace in the search for
prevention and treatment of heart
disease, cancer, genetic diseases,
periodontal disease, nutritional
deficiencies, infectious diseases and other
health disorders.
 It explains the mechanisms on how
oncogenes convert normal cells into tumor
cells, how enzymes catalyze chemical
reactions, how cholesterol contributes to
heart disease, and how aspirin lowers body
 It can manipulate and modify life forms
 Biochemistry was launched by German
chemist Carl Alexander Neuberg (father of
Biochemistry) in 1903
THE AIM OF BIOCHEMISTRY
 The major aim of biochemistry is the
complete understanding, at the molecular
level, of all of the chemical processes
associated with living cells.
 To achieve this objective, biochemists have
sought to isolate the numerous molecules
and analyse how they function.
STARTING MATERIALS: ELEMENTS OF LIFE
 Around 25 of the 94 naturally occurring
chemical elements are essential to various kinds
of biological life.
 six elements—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen,
oxygen, calcium, and phosphorus—make up
almost 99% of the mass of a human cells.
 Life on earth depends on the chemical element
carbon, which is present in every living thing.
 Biochemistry is concerned with the entire
spectrum
 of life forms, from relatively simple viruses
and bacteria
 to complex human beings.
 A sound knowledge of biochemistry and of
other related basic disciplines is essential for
the rational
 practice of medical and related health
sciences.
ATTRIBUTES OF LIFE
 1.DEFINITE SIZE & SHAPE
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  2.COMPLEX ORGANIZATION
 3. METABOLISM ATTRIBUTES OF LIFE
 4. REPRODUCTION METABOLISM
 5. GROWTH & REPRODUCTION  biological and chemical activities or
 6. VARIATION & CHANGE functions that provide energy
 7. REGULATION REPRODUCTION
 8. NUTRITION  ability to beget offspring, ensuring
 9. RESPONSIVENESS propagation and continuance of species.
 10. MOVEMENT or LOCOMOTION  the central theme of life allowing living
organisms to perpetuate its own species.
ATTRIBUTES OF LIFE  2 TYPES OF REPRODUCTION
 Possess DEFINITE characteristic size and o SEXUAL - requires two (2)
shape reproductive cells, the egg, and the
 Complexity – refers to elaborate structures sperm cell
needed to carry out laborious functions o ASEXUAL - involves the vegetative
 Organization – is putting the different body parts to reproduce
structures into order so that the organism can GROWTH
function effectively and efficiently. - ability to add new tissue
REPAIR
- ability to replace damaged parts
COMPLEX ORGANIZATION VARIATION AND CHANGE
CELL - explain why no two organisms are exactly
TISSUE alike and no organism remains unchanged
ORGAN forever
SYSTEM REGULATION
– ability to keep the functions under control
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION OF LIFE through the use of hormones and enzymes.
Molecular level RESPONSIVENESS TO STIMULI OR SENSITIVITY
 atoms and molecules are the simplest parts of – ability to respond favorably or unfavorably to
a living system its environment
Cellular level - Organisms grow from within. This is called
 The smallest unit of life capable of carrying intussusception which is made possible
out all the functions of living thing. through the assimilation of new materials
Tissue level from the food absorbed by the cells of the
 A group of cells performing a specific body.
function in a multi-cellular organism. NUTRITION
Organ level HETEROTROPHS AUTOTROPHS
 A group of tissue that function together for - While animals feed on organic matter, plants
special purpose. feed on inorganic elements which they
Organ system level process into complex molecules through
 Several organs working together to perform a photosynthesis.
function. SAPROPHYTES
Population level - derive their nutrition from dead organisms
 a group of organism lives together in a PARASITES
particular location. - derive their nutrition from living organisms
Community level MOVEMENT
 All the populations of different kinds of - Living things are capable of moving from
organisms living in the same place. place to place in the case of animals. Plants,
Ecosystem however, exhibit movement through growth
 Community of organisms in an area as well as and development.
the non living factors of the environment. BIOMOLECULES OF LIFE
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 There are 4 classes of biomolecules to be
studied in this biochemistry course:
o Carbohydrates
o Proteins.
o Lipids
o Nucleic acids
 Biomolecules are polymers: monomers are
relatively small micro molecules that are
linked together to create large
macromolecules, which are known as
polymers.
THE CHEMICALS OF LIFE
 All living things are predominantly
constructed from carbon, oxygen and
hydrogen, together with some inorganic
elements like nitrogen, phosphorous, and
sulfur.
1. Water
 All forms, from the simplest bacteria to
the most complex multicellular plants
and animals contain water. Human cells
are composed of about 70% water, over
80% in blood and 60-70% of the body as
a whole.
2. Organic Compounds or Bioorganic
Substances
– Nucleic acids (DNA & RNA)
– Proteins
– Carbohydrates
– Fats and Lipids
3. Inorganic Salts
bulk elements (N, Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K and Ca)
required in relatively amounts
trace elements (Fe, Zn, I)
 Plants transform carbon dioxide (CO 2 )
from the air, water (H 2 O) from the ground,
and energy from the sun into oxygen (O 2 )
and carbohydrates.
 Humans and other animals obtain
carbohydrates by eating foods that contain
them. In order to use the energy contained
in the carbohydrates, humans
must metabolize, or break down, the
structure of the molecule in a process that is
opposite that of photosynthesis. It starts
with the carbohydrate and oxygen and
produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
The body utilizes the energy and water and
rids itself of the carbon dioxide.
 carbohydrates serve as energy source.
 ribose and deoxyribose sugars form part of of
RNA and DNA.
 polysaccharides are structural elements in the
cell
 carbohydrates are linked to many proteins
and lipids, where they play key roles in
mediating.
2. PROTEINS

1. CARBOHYDRATES
 Carbohydrates are made from monomers called
monosaccharides. Some of these
monosaccharides include glucose (C6H12O6),
fructose (C6H12O6), and deoxyribose
(C5H10O4)
 Carbohydrates are the main source of
energy for living organisms and are made of
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
 Chlorophyll in plants absorbs light energy
from the sun. This energy is used in the
process of photosynthesis, which allows
green plants to take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen and allows for the
production of carbohydrates.

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 5. HORMONES

3. LIPIDS
4.

TYPES OF HORMONES

Autocrine: the cell signals itself through a

chemical that it synthesizes and then responds
to.
Paracrine: chemical signals that diffuse into the
area and interact with receptors on nearby cells.
NUCLEIC ACIDS
Endocrine: the chemicals are secreted into
the blood and carried by blood and tissue
fluids to the cells they act upon

APPLICATION OF BIOCHEMISTRY
GENETIC ENGINEERING
– involves taking a gene from one organism and
placing it into another. The recipient may be
bacteria or a plant or an animal

FOOD SCIENCE
– It discusses major components of diet, and
how they are metabolized by the body; it also
discusses common diseases and research
related to these concepts.
AGRICULTURE
1. Development and exploitation of better
genotypes.
2. pest resistance

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