CHM562 Natural Products Spring 2006
Instructor: Dr. Catherine Neto
Meets MWF 10:00 – 10:50 PM, II-108
email: cneto@umassd.edu
Office: II-301A phone: x6928, or 508-910-6928
Research Lab: II-301 Office hours TBA
Pre-requisite: 1 year of Organic Chemistry & lab. Biochemistry strongly recommended.
Course materials: Medicinal Natural Products—a Biosynthetic Approach by Paul M. Dewick, Wiley & Sons. Some journal articles and other course materials will be distributed; others will be available in the library or through ILL. You will also have access to recent issues of Journal of Natural Products and the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry kept in II-301.
Course description:
In this course we will discuss the structure, occurrence, biosynthesis and pharmacological uses of compounds derived from nature, with emphasis on plants, (particularly medicinal plants) and functional foods. We will also discuss some of the health conditions that are improved by natural products. Along with selected material from the text, we will discuss articles and reviews from the scientific literature. To better understand the importance of natural product research, we will use journal articles to examine methods used to isolate & identify naturally occurring molecules and determine their potential biological and medicinal uses.
Course Assignments:
50% Two exams: a midterm and a final. Both will include a written portion in which you will review aspects of current scientific literature in natural products.
25% Course project: you will write a mock review article on a topic of your choice, incorporating various literature sources and give a brief presentation on the topic
25% Class presentations: Each student will be expected to give two 15-minute presentations in class (in addition to course project) based on the scientific literature. Topics may be assigned or they may be of your choosing.
Tentative topics to be covered in the course:
Natural production of primary and secondary metabolites, basic mechanisms of biosynthesis and associated enzymes, vitamins & their physiological role, fatty acids, prostaglandins and polyketides, the shikimate pathway to aromatic molecules, antioxidants and other functional food factors, structure and bioactivity of terpenes and alkaloids, some basic pharmacology & nutritional aspects of natural products, bioassay methods and methods for isolation and structure determination, and the anti-cancer properties of natural products.
CHM562 Spring 2006 Tentative schedule of topic coverage
Jan. 30th: Introductory meeting
Feb. 1-3rd: Primary & secondary metabolites: building blocks, construction mechanisms
Feb. 6-8th: Enzymes, vitamins & cofactors (Ch. 2 Dewick). Discussion of homocysteine, B vitamins, folate and heart disease
Feb. 10-27th: Acetate pathway to fatty acids, polyketides, macrocyclics (Ch. 3 Dewick) Shikimate pathway to aromatic compounds & phenolics (Ch. 4 Dewick)
(No Classes Feb. 22nd & 24th)
Mar. 1-3rd : Student presentations, Part 1: Topics to be chosen from list
Mar. 8-13th: Flavonoids and polyphenolics: Antioxidants and more
Mar. 15th: Exam #1
Mar. 20-24th: No class, Spring Break
Mar. 27th-31st: Mevalonate pathway to terpenes. Chemistry and biological activity of terpenes, triterpenes and steroids (Ch. 5).
Apr. 3-5th: Student presentations, Part 2: Recent literature in natural products.
Apr. 10-14th: Cancer week: Natural products and cancer.
Apr. 19-28th: Alkaloids (Ch. 6)
May 1-8th : Special topics
May 10th: Course project (review paper) due
May 10-15th: Student presentations on their course projects
Exam #2: TBA (Take home + in class final scheduled May 23rd)
Last Updated On: 3/27/07
