Biochemical method of research: description, features and results. Biochemical method of genetics

The biochemical method is the main method in biochemistry from the basic methods of diagnosing various diseases that cause metabolic disorders. This method of analysis will be discussed in this article.

Diagnostic Objects

Objects of diagnostics of biochemical analysis are:

• blood;
• urine;
• Sweat and other biological fluids;
• Fabric;
• Cells.

The biochemical method of investigation makes it possible to determine the activity of enzymes, the content of metabolic products in various biological fluids, and also to reveal metabolic disorders that are due to a hereditary factor.

History

The biochemical method was discovered by the English physician A. Garrod at the beginning of the 20th century. He studied alkaptonuria, and during the study he found that congenital metabolism or metabolic disease can be determined on the basis of the absence of specific enzymes.

Various hereditary diseases are caused by mutations in genes that alter the structure and speed of protein synthesis in the body. At the same time, carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism is disrupted.

Basic

For the purposes of clinical diagnosis, the chemical composition of biological materials and tissues is studied, since in pathology, changes in concentration, absence of components, or the appearance of some other component may appear. Biochemical analysis determines the amount of certain substances, the hormonal balance, enzymes.

Molecules, proteins, nucleic acids and other substances that are part of the living organism are studied.

results

The result of the biochemical method of investigation can be divided into qualitative (detected or not detected) and quantitative (what is the content of a substance in the biomaterial).

In the qualitative research method, properties characteristic of the substance used, which are manifested under certain chemical influences (with heating, with the addition of reagents) are used.

Direct quantitative research method is determined on the basis of the same principle, but first determine the detection of a substance, and then measure its concentration.

Hormones, mediators are contained in the body in very small quantities, so their content is measured using biological test objects (for example, a single organ or an entire experimental animal). This increases the sensitivity and specificity of the studies.

Historical evolution

The biochemical method is improved in order to obtain the most accurate result and information about the state of metabolic processes in the body, metabolic processes in certain organs and cells. Recently, biological diagnostic methods are combined with other research methods, such as immune, histological, cytological and others. To use a more sophisticated method or methods, special equipment is usually used.

There is another direction in the biochemical method, which is not caused by a request for clinical diagnosis. Using the development and application of a quick and maximally simplified method that can allow in a few minutes to determine the evaluation of the desired biochemical indicators.

Nowadays, laboratories are equipped with the latest advanced equipment and mechanical and automatic systems and instruments (analyzers), which allow you to quickly and accurately determine the desired figure.

Biochemical method of study: methods

The measurement of a substance in biological fluids and their determination is carried out in many different ways. For example, to determine such an indicator as cholesterol esterase, there are hundreds of variants of methods of biochemical research. The choice of a particular technique depends to a large extent on the nature of the biological fluids being studied.

The biochemical method of investigation is used to determine one substance or indicator both singly and in dynamics. This indicator is checked at a certain time of the day, under a certain load, during the disease, when taking any medications.

Features of the method

Features of the biochemical method:

• The minimum amount of biomaterial used;
• Speed of analysis;
• Possible multiple application of this method;
• accuracy;
• The biochemical method can be used in the course of the disease;
• Taking drugs does not affect the result of the study.

Biochemical methods of genetics

In genetics, the cytogenetic method of investigation is most often used. It allows to study in detail chromosomal structures and their karyotype. Using this method, it is possible to identify hereditary and monogenic diseases that are associated with mutations and polymorphisms of genes and their structures.

The biochemical method of genetics is now widely used to find new forms of mutant alleles in DNA. With the help of this method, more than 1000 variants of metabolic diseases have been identified and described. Most of the diseases described are diseases that are associated with defects in enzymes and other structural proteins.

Diagnosis of metabolic disturbances by biochemical methods is carried out in two stages.

First step:

• The selection of suspected cases is being conducted.

Second phase:

• The diagnosis of the disease is more precise and complicated.

Newborn children in prenatal period with the help of biochemical method of research are diagnosed with hereditary diseases, which allows timely detection of pathology and timely start treatment.

Types of method

The biochemical method of genetics can have many kinds. All of them are divided into two groups:

1. Biochemical methods, which are based on the detection of certain biochemical products. This is due to changes in the actions of different alleles.
2. A method that is based on directly identifying altered nucleic acids and proteins by gel electrophoresis in combination with other techniques, such as blot-hybridization, autoradiography.

The biochemical method helps to identify heterozygous carriers of various diseases. Mutational processes in the human body lead to the appearance of alleles and to chromosome rearrangements, which have a bad effect on human health.

Also biochemical diagnostic methods allow to reveal various polymorphisms and mutations of genes. Improvement of the biochemical method and biochemical diagnostics in our time helps to identify and confirm a large number of various disorders in the metabolic processes of the body.

The article examined the biochemical method of analysis.