CUSTODIO, ANGELICA IRISH T.

BSE 2A 1/23/2020

BIOCHEMISTRY

Biochemistry in general deals with body substance like enzymes, carbohydrates, amino acids, fats,
proteins, hormones, DNA, RNA, pigments, etc. It describes their origin, formation,
function, deficiency symptoms, etc. It tries to explain life in terms of biochemical
reactions. Biochemistry is the use of molecular methods to investigate, explain and manipulate
biological processes. The study of life at the molecular level continues to undergo dynamic
expansion, leading to ever-increasing insights into topics as various as the origin of life, the nature
of disease and the development of individual organisms. It deals with the structures, functions and
interactions of biological macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and
lipids, which provide the structure of cells and perform many of the functions associated with life.
The chemistry of the cell also depends on the reactions of smaller molecules and ions. These can
be inorganic, for example water and metal ions, or organic, for example the amino acids which are
used to synthesize proteins. The mechanisms by which cells harness energy from their
environment via chemical reactions are known as metabolism. Powerful new techniques, such as
those of molecular genetics and NMR spectroscopy, enable us to analyses biological phenomena
in more and more precise molecular terms. These studies have led to valuable developments in
drug design and synthesis, forensic science, environmental monitoring and a whole range of other
areas. Furthermore, advances in biochemistry are largely responsible for the breakdown of
traditional disciplinary boundaries between cell biology, medicine, physics and chemistry. The
findings of biochemistry are applied primarily in medicine, nutrition, and agriculture. In medicine,
biochemists investigate the causes and cures of disease. In nutrition, they study how to maintain
health and study the effects of nutritional deficiencies. In agriculture, biochemists investigate soil
and fertilizers, and try to discover ways to improve crop cultivation, crop storage and pest control.
Over the last 40 years, biochemistry has become so successful at explaining living processes that
now almost all areas of the life sciences from botany to medicine are engaged in biochemical
research. Today, the main focus of pure biochemistry is in understanding how biological molecules
give rise to the processes that occur within living cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study
and understanding of whole organisms.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY

The importance of biochemistry is enormous and essential in our daily life activities. It is used in
clinical diagnosis, manufacture of various biological products, treatment of diseases, in nutrition,
agriculture, etc. the study of biochemistry helps one comprehend the actual chemical
conceptions of biology. That is the functioning of numerous body processes and physiology by
uses of bio-molecules. Biochemistry is one of the branches of chemistry which deals with the
chemical basis of life in plants and animals. That is, it is concerned about the internal chemistry of
biological systems of animals and plants.

IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN MEDICINE

Biochemistry is a valuable subject in medicine without which there would have been no such
advancement in the field.

 Physiology: Biochemistry helps one understand the biochemical changes and related physiological
alteration in the body. Pathology of any disease is studied through biochemical changes.
 Pathology: Based on the symptoms described by the patient, the physician can get a clue on the
biochemical change and the associated disorder. For example, if a patient complains about
stiffness in small joints, then the physician may predict it to be gout and get confirmed by
evaluating uric acid levels in the blood as uric acid accumulation in blood results in gout.
 Nutrition deficiency: In the present scenario, many people rely on taking multivitamin & minerals
for better health. The function and role of the vitamin in the body are described only by
biochemistry.
 Hormonal deficiency: There are many disorders due to hormonal imbalance in especially women
and children. The formation, role of hormones in the normal body function is taught in
biochemistry by which the physician can understand the concerned problem during treatment.

IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN NURSING

In nursing, the importance of clinical biochemistry is invaluable. When a patient is in the hospital
nurses, need to keep a watch on how his condition is progressing through clinical biochemistry.
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That is the treatment for helping him recover from said condition etc. Almost all diseases or
disorders have some biochemical involvement. So the diagnosis of any clinical condition is easily
possible by biochemical estimations.

1. Kidney function test: For example, in kidney disorders, other chemotherapy treatment, etc. urine
test help understands the extent of excretion of drugs or other metabolites, the change in pH, the
color of urine, etc.
2. Blood test: In diabetes, biochemical analytical test for blood glucose level (above
150mg/deciliter) helps one understand the severity of diabetes disorder. Another biochemical
analysis for ketones bodies in urine also indicates the stage of diabetes. The appearance of ketone
bodies or ketone urea is mostly the last stage of diabetes.
3. Liver function tests help understand the type of disease or damage to the liver, the effect of any
medication on the liver, etc.
4. Serum cholesterol test: Evaluation of blood cholesterol level and other lipoproteins helps to
understand the proneness of the patient to cardiovascular diseases.
Thus the importance of clinical biochemistry is to help the nurse monitor the patient’s
condition regularly during the treatment.

IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN AGRICULTURE

In agriculture, biochemistry plays a valuable role in farming, fishery, poultry, sericulture,
beekeeping, etc.

 Prevent diseases: It helps for prevention, treatment of diseases and also increases the production
or yield.
 Enhance growth: Biochemistry gives an idea of how the use of fertilizers can increase plant
growth, their yield, quality of food, etc.
 Enhance Yield: Some hormones promote growth, while others encourage
flowering, fruit formation, etc. In fisheries, the use of substances to promote fish growth, their
reproduction, etc. can be understood.
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 Adulteration: Even the composition of food material produced, their alteration or adulteration for
example in honey can be found by biochemical tests. Biochemistry tests help prevent
contamination.
 Biochemical tests for the pesticide residues or other toxic waste in plant, food grain and soil can
be evaluated. Hence during import and export of food grains, a biochemical check of the toxic
residues is done to fix the quality.
 In animal husbandry, the quality of milk can be checked by biochemical tests. It also helps
diagnose any disease condition in animals and birds.
 In fisheries, the water quality is regularly monitored by biochemical tests. Any drastic change in
water chemistry & composition of fishery ponds can lead to the vast death of fishes and prawns.
Hence the tests are done regularly to see salt content (calcium content), pH, accumulation of waste
due to not changing water for long, etc.
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IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN NUTRITION

In nutrition, biochemistry describes food chemistry. For maintenance of health, optimum intake of
many biochemical like macro, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids & water is
necessary.

1. Food chemistry gives an idea of what we eat, i.e., it’ s components like carbohydrates, proteins,
fats, etc. and also the possible physiological alteration due to their deficiency.
2. The role of nutrients: Due to biochemistry the importance of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty
acids, their contribution to health were known. Hence there is a frequent recommendation for
inclusion of crucial amino-acids, cod liver oil, salmon fish oil, etc. by physicians and other health
and fitness experts.
3. The nutrients value of food material can also be determined by biochemical tests.
4. The physician can prescribe to limit usage of certain food like excess sugar for diabetics, excess
oil for heart & lung problem prone patients, etc. As these carbohydrate and fat diets can inhibit the
recovery rate from said disorder. This knowledge is due to their idea of food chemistry and related
Importance of biochemistry in PHARMACY
IN A PHARMACY, MANY DRUGS ARE STORED FOR REGULAR DISPENSING.
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 Drug Constitution: Biochemistry gives an idea of the constitution of the drug, its chances of
degradation with varying temperature, etc. How modification in medicinal chemistry helps
improve efficiency, minimize side effects, etc.
 The half-life: This is a test done on biochemical drugs to know how long a drug is stable when
kept at so and so temperature.
 Drug storage: The storage condition required can be estimated by the biochemical test. For
example, many enzymes, hormones are stored for dispensing. These get deteriorated over time due
to temperature or oxidation, contamination and also due to improper storage.
 Drug metabolism: It also gives an idea of how drug molecules are metabolized by many
biochemical reactions in the presence of enzymes. This helps to avoid drugs which have a poor
metabolism or those with excessive side effects from being prescribed or dispensed to the patient.
 Biochemical tests: These tests help fix the specific half-life or date of expiry of drugs.

IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN PLANTS

Biochemistry of plants gave way to the breakthrough of how food is synthesized in them and the
reason why they are autotrophs, i.e., not dependent on other living beings for food. Biochemistry
in plants describes

1. Photosynthesis: This describes how carbohydrates are synthesized by the use of sunlight, CO2,
and water in the green leaves of plants. It goes on to explain about different complex enzymes
involved in the process to combine the energy of sun within the molecules H2O+ CO2 in the form
of carbohydrates.

2. Respiration: By use of the above photosynthesis pathway, plants leave out Oxygen while taking
up Carbon dioxide from the air. This air is used to generate energy in a cell like that of animal
cells.
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3. Different sugars: Biochemistry defines different types of carbohydrates formed in plants like
trioses (3 carbon sugars, i.e., glyceraldehyde), tetroses (4), pentoses (5), hexoses (6= glucose),
heptoses (7), etc. Tetroses are the carbohydrates which go on to form the nucleic acids, i.e.,
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA).
4. Plants secondary metabolites: Biochemistry also describes how the plant products like gums,
tannins, alkaloids, resins, enzymes, phytohormones are formed inside the plant. Further, how the
different plant cell parts are involved in physiology. The conversion of different biochemical over
some time like lignin, chitin to harden the dead vascular vessels, etc.
5. Other functions: It also describes how plants fruits get ripened, how to plant seed germinates,
the respiration process inside the plant cell, how proteins and amino acids are formed on rough
endoplasmic reticulum and fats are formed on smooth ER.

BIOENERGETICS

Bioenergetics is the branch of biochemistry, that emphases on study of how energy flows through
a living system and on how cells convert energy, often by producing, storing or consuming
adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Bioenergetics processes, such as cellular respiration or
photosynthesis, are essential to most aspects of cellular metabolism, therefore to life itself.
Organisms harvest and use energy through photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

To help understand the bioenergetics of chloroplasts and mitochondria, we need to know how
much energy is stored in ATP, which is the difference between its chemical potential and that of
the reactants (ADP and phosphate) used in its formation. We must then identify reactions that have
a large enough free energy decrease to drive the ATP synthesis reaction in the
energetically uphill direction; this leads us to a consideration of the energetics of electron flow in
organelles—a topic that is discussed in the next two sections. Our immediate concerns are (1) the
chemical reaction describing ATP formation, (2) the associated change in Gibbs free energy for
that reaction, and (3) the implications of the substantial amount of energy storage in ATP.
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MACRONUTRIENTS AND MICRONUTRIENTS

Macronutrients are needed in larger quantities (in gram range). They normally include water,
carbohydrates, fat and protein. Macronutrients (except water) are also called energy-providing
nutrients. Energy is measured in calories and is essential for the body to grow, repair and develop
new tissues, conduct nerve impulses and regulate life process.

Carbohydrates – are required for energy and provide body’s main source of energy (4 calories
per gram); they form the major part of stored food in the body for later use of energy and exist in
three form: sugar, starch and fiber. The brain works entirely on glucose alone. When in excess, it
is stored in the liver as Glycogen. Carbohydrates are also important for fat oxidation and can also
be converted into protein.

Fats – are used in making steroids and hormones and serve as solvents for hormones and fat
soluble vitamins. Fats have the highest caloric content and provide the largest amount of energy
when burnt. When measured by a calorimeter, fats provide about 9 calories per gram of fat, making
them twice as energy-rich than protein and carbohydrates. Extra fat is stored in adipose tissue and
is burnt when the body has run out of carbohydrates.

Proteins – they provide amino acids and make up most of the cell structure including the cell
membrane. They are the last to be used of all macronutrients. In cases of extreme starvation, the
muscles in the body, that are made up of proteins, are used to provide energy. This is called muscle
wasting. As for carbohydrates, proteins also provide 4 calories per gram.

Water – makes up a large part of our body weight and is the main component of our body fluids.
The body needs more water every day than any other nutrient and we replenish it through foods
and liquids we eat and drink. Water serves as a carrier, distributing nutrients to cells and removing
wastes through urine. It is also a compulsory agent in the regulation of body temperature and ionic
balance of the blood. Water is completely essential for the body’s metabolism and is also required
for lubricant and shock absorber.
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Micronutrients These nutrients include minerals and vitamins. Unlike macronutrients, these are
required in very minute amounts. Together, they are extremely important for the normal
functioning of the body. Their main function is to enable the many chemical reactions to occur in
the body. Micronutrients do not function for the provision of energy.

Vitamins – are essential for normal metabolism, growth and development, and regulation of cell
function. They work together with enzymes and other substances that are necessary for a healthy
life. Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat soluble Vitamins can be stored in the
fatty tissues in the body when in excess. Water soluble vitamins are excreted in urine when in
excess and so need to be taken daily. Water soluble vitamins include Vitamin B and C. Green leafy
vegetables are rich in Vitamin B, whereas Vitamin C is found abundantly in citrus fruits. Fat
soluble vitamins are Vitamin A, D, E and K. Green leafy vegetables, milk and dairy products and
plant oils provide these vitamins.

Minerals – are found in ionized form in the body. They are further classified into macro minerals
and micro minerals (or trace minerals). Macro minerals present in the body include Calcium,
Potassium, Iron, Sodium and Magnesium to name a few. Iron is a constituent of Hemoglobin which
is present in blood. Macro minerals are needed in more amounts, as compared to micro minerals.
Micro minerals include Copper, Zinc, Cobalt, Chromium and Fluoride. They are mostly co-factors,
and are necessary for the function of enzymes in the body, but are needed only in minor quantities.
Approximately 4% of the body’s mass consists of minerals.

REFERENCES
http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/biochemistry-molecular-and-cellular
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry
www.foodpyramid.com/6-essential-nutrients and www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3261e/i3261e05.pdf
https://www.wikipedia.org/
https://www.studyread.com/importance-biochemistry/
https://www.nature.com/subjects/bioenergetics
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/bioenergetics