ECTS - University of Pisa
Membrane structure.The signal transduction mechanisms: classification, signaling mediated by G proteins. Signaling mediated by tyrosine kinase receptors. Integrated signal transduction: tyrosine kinase receptors-mTOR-AMPK. Ligand gated ion channels. Neurotrophyn and neuroglobulins. Synthesis of neurotransmitters and regulation. Purine and pyrimidine metabolism. Nucleotide metabolism in brain. Purinergic receptors. Human Connectome and Human Brain Projects. Drugs acting on Sympathetic and Parasympathetic system. Drugs acting on Cholinergic and noradrenergic receptors. Pharmacodynamics. G protein-coupled receptor signaling. Drug affinity, potency and efficacy. Tolerance, withdrawal syndrome and addiction. Pharmacokinetic: drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and eliminatio. Drug-drug interactions in Neuropharmacology. Antidepressants: I, II and III generation. Anxiolytic drugs: benzodiazepines. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). Lithium salts. Neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Neurobiology of Addiction: role of the dopaminergic system and beyond. Drugs of abuse.
The assessment will be done trough discussion both during the lessons and in the occasion of the final exam
The student will be able to understand the molecular bases of signal transduction, its regulation and its pathology
The assessment will be done trough discussion both during the lessons and in the occasion of the final exam
The student will acquire a familiarity with the very complex metabolic and regulatory pathways contemporaneously playing their respective role in the determination of cell function.
The assessment will be done trough discussion both during the lessons and in the occasion of the final exam
The students need to know the basic concepts in Biochemistry and physiology, metabolism, organic chemistry.
The teaching methodology will be frontal lessons with the help of power point or PDF presentations
Transport systems: diffusion, active and passive transport, channels. Kinetic of transporters and channels. Glucose transport. Functional characteristics of different glucose transporters. The signal transduction systems. Receptors coupled with G proteins: activation and adaptation. cAMP as second messenger: G protein activating phospholipase C. Calcium as regulator of cell functions. Tyrosine kinase receptors, insulin receptor, signal transduction pathway via MAPKinasi and via PIP3-PKB. Receptors Jak-Stat. Guanylil ciclase receptors. PPAR receptors. Intracellular hormone receptors. Regulation by protein-protein interaction: SH2 and SH3 domains. Signal integration: mTOR signalling, upstream regulators of mTORC1 and cellular processes downstream of mTORC1. Regulated cell mechanisms downstream to mTORC1: protein synthesis, cholesterol and lipid synthesis, mitochondrial proliferation, glycolysis and cell cycle. Implication of mTOR signalling in neurodegeneration, aging and cancer. Neurotrophins and neuroglobins. Synthesis of neurotransmitters. Origin of purine and pyrimidine compounds in our body. Purine and pyrimidine de novo synthesis, catabolism and recycling. Extracellular catabolism of NTP, regulation of extracellular 5'-nucleotidase. Purinergic receptors: nucleotide and nucleoside receptors, transduction pathways and structure, transport of nucleotides and nucleosides, extracellular and intracellular metabolism. Adenosine receptors: classification, distribution and function in central nervous system. Involvement of adenosine receptors in ischemia and epilepsy. Structure P2X ATP receptors. Emerging role of ATP receptors in CNS health and disease. Introduction to Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience. Advances in Neuroscience: Human Connectome and Human Brain Projects. Chemical Synapse. Hints on Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System. Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. Drugs acting on Sympathetic and Parasympathetic system. Cholinergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission. Cholinergic and noradrenergic receptors. Drugs acting on Cholinergic and noradrenergic receptors. Ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors. Pharmacodynamics. G protein-coupled receptor signalling. Drug affinity, potency and efficacy. Tolerance, withdrawal syndrome and addiction. Pharmacokinetic: drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. Cytochrome P450 family. Drug-drug interactions in Neuropharmacology. Antidepressants: I, II and III generation. Mechanism of action. Antidepressants and neurogenesis. Side effects. Therapeutic uses of antidepressants. Anxiolytic drugs: benzodiazepines. Mechanism of action. Gabaergic system. Side effects. Benzodiazepine vs SSRI. Antipsychotics I and II generation: clinical use, mechanism of action, side effects. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). Lithium salts. Neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Antiparkinsonian drugs: mechanism of actions and side effects. Anti-Alzheimer drugs. Neurobiology of Addiction: role of the dopaminergic system and beyond. Drugs of abuse.
All the presentations and papers will be loaded on e-learning platform
recommended books:
Goodman-Gilman: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics Clementi-Fumagalli: Farmacologia generale e molecolare Annunziato-Di Rienzo: Trattato di Farmacologia Nelson and Cox I Principi di Biochimica di Lehninger
All the didactic materials are available in e-learning in the Biology department site. The teachers are available by appointment.
During the final exam the student will be asked to discuss about 3-4 different arguments in the presence of both biochemistry and pharmacology teachers.
