Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to provide the pharmacological basis to acquire a deep understanding of natural bioactive compounds and their potential beneficial / toxic effect.
Knowledge and understanding:
• Acquire basic knowledge of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy.
• Acquire knowledge of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for understanding the pharmacological activity of the active ingredients
• To Know the pharmacological activity of natural bioactive compounds and the related mechanisms of action
• To know the methods of experimental pharmacology employed in the research and development of novel dietary supplements
• Acquire ability to use the specific language of the discipline
Knowledge and understanding applied:
• Apply knowledge of the mechanisms of action of the active ingredients to define their pharmacological activity and their use for health
Judgment autonomy
• Understand the meaning of the effect of food supplements compared to drugs
• Knowing how to independently assess the validity of a prevention strategy based on food supplements/ nutraceutical
Communication skills
• Have the ability to synthesize information and communicate it effectively to specialist and non-specialist interlocutors.
Use the specific language of the discipline
Learning skills:
• Develop skills and methodology that allow to study in a highly autonomous manner
• Ability to update the knowledge through the consultation of scientific databases
Prerequisites
no
Course unit content
- General principles of pharmacology: pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacological activity of the main natural bioactive compounds
-Practical activities in laboratory
Full programme
Pharmacokinetics
- absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME)
- Main pharmacokinetic parameters
- Repeated dose kinetics
Pharmacoepidemiology
Pharmacodynamics:
- Quantal and graded dose-response curves
- Efficacy and Potency
- Mechanisms of action
Drugs for cardiovascular prevention
Classes of naturally occurring bioactive compounds:
- pharmacological activity
- mechanism of action
- health-related indications
Hints of Pharmacological Interactions
Practical activity in the lab: setting up an experiment on cultured cells, spectrophotometric assay of cellular proteins, data elaboration and analysis, preparation of plant extracts.
Bibliography
Clark MA et al. “Le basi della farmacologia” Edizioni Zanichelli (for the general part)
Tognolini M and Zanotti I. “Principi di Farmacognosia e Fitoterapia”. (for the pharmacological activity of the bioactive compounds)
Slides provided by the teacher
Teaching methods
The lessons will be mainly frontal. Class attendance is not mandatory.
The recording of the lectures and slides used to support the lectures, considered integral part of the lecture material, will be made available to the students through uploading to the Elly platform.
In addition to lessons, the course includes practical activities in laboratory that will be conducted in small groups of students in January, according to a schedule communicated during the course. They will engage three consecutive half days/student. They will be preceded by a 3-hour theoretical lecture scheduled in January. Attendance at the lecture, as well as the exercises, are mandatory to access to the exam (for more details see Pharmacology Partitions A-L, and M-Z).
Short video recordings preparatory to laboratory activities will be made available on the Elly portal.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written examination with short and extended open questions to be taken via PC on the ELLY platform as follows:
- No. 6 questions requiring a very short open-ended response (about 1-5 words),
- No. 2 questions requiring extended open-ended response.
Rating scale: 0-30
Weights and evaluation criteria:
Short answer questions: 0 to 3 points per question. Extended response questions: 0 to 6 points per question.
A minimum of 11 points in short answers and a minimum of 7 points in extended answers must be obtained to pass the exam.
Other information
no
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
3
