Lecture 2 Slide Deck

Question 1

What are the 8 building blocks?

Answer 1

Atom, Molecule, Macromolecule, Organelle, Cells, Tissue, Organ System and Organism

Question 2

What inspires most bioengineering applications? Add an example to help describe understanding

Answer 2

Nature or naturally occurring technologies; for example repellent/sticky surfaces like the pitcher plant that repel liquids and prevent non-specific adhesion

Question 3

What are the molecules of life? Also known as macromolecules

Answer 3

Carbohydrates (e.g. glucose), Lipids (e.g. phospholipid), Proteins (e.g. antibodies, hemoglobin), Nucleic Acids (e.g. tRNA)

Question 4

What percentage of water is a human made up of?

Answer 4

75%

Question 5

Are proteins hydrophilic or hydrophobic creatures?

Answer 5

Hydrophilic, most proteins are very hydrated
Note: Lipids comprise 5% of macromolecules but are the most important - no membrane lipid bilayer means no life!

Question 6

What are the 2 classifications of biomaterials? and what are their main issue?

Answer 6

Natural and Synthetic Polymers, Biocompatibility: If they are not blood-friendly and cause clot formation, they are not good!

Question 7

What are carbohydrates made of and are they soluble in water?

Answer 7

Carbohydrates are made of C, H and O and are rich in -C-OH groups, making them polar molecules and highly solvated in water (hydrophilic)
Note: Commonly known as sugars

Question 8

What are the most important carbohydrates?

Answer 8

Ribose - Found in Nucleic Acid
Glucose - Found in Cellulose and Glycogen

Question 9

What makes up the differences in blood groups?

Answer 9

The differences in the sugars attached to the surface of the cell

Question 10

Do humans have the enzyme to break down cellulose fully?

Answer 10

No, humans lack cellulase

Question 11

What are lipids made up of and are they hydrophobic or hydrophilic?

Answer 11

Lipids are diverse structures rich in C-C and C-H bonds, they are mostly hydrophobic or “lipophilic”, meaning they can dissolve in oil

Question 12

What does it mean when lipids are amphipathic?

Answer 12

Amphipathic means they are BOTH hydrophilic and hydrophobic (e.g. phospholipid bilayer)

Question 13

What are the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats?

Answer 13

Saturated fats have no double bonds, and unsaturated fats include C-C double bonds

Question 14

What is Atherosclerosis?

Answer 14

It is the thickening or hardening of the arteries and is caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, etc) in the inner lining of the artery

Question 15

Is cholesterol hydrophobic or hydrophilic?

Answer 15

Hydrophobic due to its mainly hydrocarbon structure

Question 16

What are saturated and trans fats associated with?

Answer 16

Coronary artery disease, up of deposits clog arteries and causes heart attacks when the plaque ruptures within the walls and causes blood clots

Question 17

What are proteins on a molecular level?

Answer 17

Chains of amino acids (monomer) connected by peptide linkage - amino acids share a common structure of a carbon atom bonded to a carboxyl group, an amino group, a hydrogen atom and a variable R-group (Make sure you can draw Glycine for Midterm)

Question 18

What determines the FOLD (3D Structure) of a protein?

Answer 18

The primary sequence determines the fold of the protein, which are
the unique linear polymers of a defined order of amino acids

Question 19

What does the FOLD of the protein determine?

Answer 19

Protein FOLD determines function, which are categorized as primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures

Primary Protein Structure - Sequence of a chain of amino acids

Secondary Protein Structure - Hydrogen bonding of the peptide
backbone causes the amino acids to fold into a repeating pattern

Tertiary Protein Structure - 3-D folding pattern of a protein due to side chain interactions

Quaternary Structure - Protein consisting of more than one amino acid chain

Question 20

What are the main functions of proteins?

Answer 20

1. Structural and Mechanical Support
2. Transport
3. Signaling
4. Cellular Response to Chemical Stimuli
5. Defense Against Foreign Organisms (Antibodies)
6. Catalysis of Biochemical Reactions (Enzymes)

Question 21

How can you know if surfaces have enhanced target cell adhesion properties?

Question 22

What is the first process that occurs after the implantation of a biomaterial in the human body?

Answer 22

Protein adsorption. This process changes the properties of the surface and can induce structural alterations on the adsorbed/desorbed proteins (affects the biocompatibility)

Question 23

What is the basic membrane-bound unit that contains the fundamental molecules of life?

Answer 23

Cells

Question 24

What are the implications of Thrombogenicity?

Answer 24

Clot Formation -> blood cells and proteins

Question 24

What are the interests of Inflammation?

Answer 24

immune cells, blood protein

Question 25

What are the implications of Antimicrobials?

Answer 25

Biofilm Formation -> bacteria, immune cells

Question 26

How are tissues formed?

Answer 26

When cells of the same type “hang together” and perform the same function

Question 27

What are the 2 types of biomaterials and why are they used?

Answer 27

Natural or synthetic materials are designed to interact with biological systems and are used in medical applications to support, enhance, or replace damaged tissue or a biological function