Course Details
Course Information Package
| Course Unit Title | CHEMISTRY OF BIOACTIVE NATURAL COMPOUNDS | ||||||||
| Course Unit Code | PHA204 | ||||||||
| Course Unit Details | |||||||||
| Number of ECTS credits allocated | 6 | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes of the course unit | By the end of the course, the students should be able to:
| ||||||||
| Mode of Delivery | Face-to-face | ||||||||
| Prerequisites | PHA107 | Co-requisites | NONE | ||||||
| Recommended optional program components | NONE | ||||||||
| Course Contents | · Definition, description, nature, targets of bioactivity. Role of natural bioactive compounds. Relationship between biologic action, chemical structure and physicochemical properties. Poisons, toxins and drugs, the chemical warfare in nature. Is food a bioactive substance? Similarities and differences between the two. The presence of bioactive compounds in food, water, atmosphere and ground. The role of the modern human activities, pollution. Xenobiotics. Effects of bioactive substances on humans. Similarities and differences between poisons and drugs. The wisdom of nature concerning the relationship between bioactive substances and life. · Products of plant origin, their biosynthesis, applications, determination and use in pharmacy, studied in groups according to their chemical character, e.g. lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, terpenes, steroids, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, antibiotics, vitamins, inorganic constituents, water, ash, etc. Structure, origin (botanical name and family of the producing plant), properties (physical, chemical, biological). Purity, quality, quantity control. Adulterations and their detection. Use of natural products in pharmacy and drug therapy, in relation to their actions. Applications in Pharmaceutical Technology and Galenic Pharmacy. Histopharmacochemistry of parts of the plant. Role and contribution of natural products and pharmacognosy to pharmaceutical sciences. Role and critique on phytotherapy, aromatherapy and related alternative therapies, in relation to modern pharmacotherapy. Laboratory work: Isolation of a bioactive compound from a plant product and bioactivity test, Activity of a synthetic bioactive product in vitro, Role of a synthetic bioactive product in the body, Isolation of purine alkaloids from tea leaves, Isolation of quinine and other alkaloids from the plant bark, Microscopic and physicochemical properties of starch, Microscopic and chemical examination of fibres, Chemical study of cholesterol or carotenes or tannins. | ||||||||
| Recommended and/or required reading: | |||||||||
| Textbooks |
| ||||||||
| References |
| ||||||||
| Planned learning activities and teaching methods | The taught part of course is delivered to the students by means of lectures, conducted with the help of computer presentations. Lecture notes and presentations are available through the web for students to use in combination with the textbooks. Lectures are accompanied with tutorials and laboratory work which is carried out in the analysis laboratory. | ||||||||
| Assessment methods and criteria |
| ||||||||
| Language of instruction | Greek | ||||||||
| Work placement(s) | NO | ||||||||
