(Seventh Edition)
Free online access to
Additional Clinical Cases, Key Concepts & Image Bank
DM Vasudevan MBBS MD FAMS FRCPath
Distinguished Professor Department of Biochemistry College of Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences Kochi, Kerala, India
Formerly Principal, College of Medicine Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India
Dean, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences
Gangtok, Sikkim, India
Sreekumari S MBBS MD
Professor and Head Department of Biochemistry Sree Gokulam Medical College and Research Foundation Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Kannan Vaidyanathan MBBS MD
Professor and Head Department of Biochemistry Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
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© 2013, DM Vasudevan, Sreekumari S, Kannan Vaidyanathan
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This book has been published in good faith that the contents provided by the authors contained herein are original, and is intended for educational purposes only. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of information, the publisher and the authors specifically disclaim any damage, liability, or loss incurred, directly or indirectly, from the use or application of any of the contents of this work. If not specifically stated, all figures and tables are courtesy of the authors. Where appropriate, the readers should consult with a specialist or contact the manufacturer of the drug or device.
Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students
First Edition: 1995
Second Edition: 1998
Third Edition: 2001
Fourth Edition: 2004
Fifth Edition: 2007
Sixth Edition: 2010
Seventh Edition: 2013
9789350905302
Printed at
Dedicated to
With humility and reverence,
this book is dedicated
at the lotus feet of the Holy Mother,
Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
“Today's world needs people who express goodness in their words and deeds. If such noble role models set the example for their fellow beings, the darkness prevailing in today's society will be dispelled, and the light of peace and non-violence will once again illumine this earth. Let us work together towards this goal”.
—Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
We are glad to present the Seventh edition of the Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students. Now, this textbook is entering the 19th year of existence. With humility, we may state that the medical community of India has warmly received the previous editions of this book. The Medical Council of India has accepted it as one of the standard textbooks. We are happy to note that this book has also reached in the hands of medical students of neighboring countries of Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. and also to distant countries in Africa and Europe. We are very proud to report that the Textbook has a Spanish edition, with wide circulation in the Central and South America. Apart from the medical community, this book has also become popular to other biological group of students in India. In retrospect, it gives immense satisfaction to note that this book served the students and faculty for the past two decades.
We are bringing out the new edition of the textbook every 3 years. A major addition of this edition is the incorporation of clinical case studies in almost all chapters. We hope that this feature will help the students to identify the clinical relevance of the biochemistry. Further, chapters on clinical chemistry have been extensively updated and clinically relevant points were further added. Rapid progress has been made in the area of molecular biology during past few years, and these advances are to be reflected in this book also. The major change in this Seventh edition is that advanced knowledge has been added in almost all chapters, clinical case studies have been added in relevant chapters; and a few new chapters were added. The print fonts and font size have also been changed for better readability.
From the First edition onwards, our policy was to provide not only basic essentials but also some of the advanced knowledge. About 30% contents of the previous editions were not required for a student aiming for a minimum pass. A lot of students have appreciated this approach, as it helped them to pass the postgraduate (PG) entrance examinations at a later stage. However, this asset has paved the way for a general criticism that the extra details are a burden to the average students. Especially, when read for the first time, the student may find it difficult to sort out the essential minimum from the desirable bulk. In this Seventh edition, advanced topics are given in small prints. In essence, this book is composed of three complementary books. The bold printed areas will be useful for the student at the time of revision just before the examinations; regular printed pages are meant for an average first year MBBS student and the fine printed paragraphs are targeted to the advanced students preparing for the PG entrance.
Essay questions, short notes, multiple choice questions and viva voce type questions are given as a separate book, but free of cost. These questions are compiled from the question papers of various universities during the last decade. These questions will be ideal for students for last-minute preparation for examinations. We are introducing the online study material, which provides concepts of major topic as well as clinical case studies. This shall be updated through the year. Hence, students are advised to check the web page at regular intervals.
A textbook will be matured only by successive revisions. In the preface for the First edition, we expressed our desire to revise the textbook every 3 years. We were fortunate to keep that promise. This book has undergone metamorphosis during each edition. Chemical structures with computer technology were introduced in the Second edition. Color printing has been launched in the Third edition. The Fourth edition came out with multicolor printing. In the Fifth edition, the facts were presented in small paragraphs, so as to aid memory. In the Sixth edition, figures were drastically increased. In this Seventh edition, about 100 case studies are added. In this book, there are about 81100 figures, 230 tables and 200 boxes (perhaps we could call it as illustrated textbook of biochemistry), altogether making the book more student-friendly. The quality of paper is also improved during successive editions.
We were pleasantly surprised to receive many letters giving constructive criticisms and positive suggestions to improve the textbook. These responses were from all parts of the country (we got a few such letters from African and European students also). Such contributors include Heads of Departments, very senior professors, middle level teachers and mostly postgraduate students. We have tried to incorporate most of those suggestions, within the constraints of page limitations. In a way, this book thus became multi-authored, and truly national in character. This is to place on record, our deep gratitude for all those “pen-friends” who have helped us to improve this book. The first author desires more interaction with faculty and students who are using this textbook. All are welcome to communicate at his e-mail address <dmvasudevan@yahoo.co.in>
As indicated in the last edition, the first author is in the process of retirement, and would like to reduce the burden in due course. A successful textbook is something like a growing institution; individuals may come and go, but the institution will march ahead. Therefore, we felt the need to induce younger blood into the editorial board. Thus, a third author has been added in the Sixth edition, so that the torch can been handed over smoothly at an appropriate time later on. In this Seventh edition, the first author has taken less responsibility in editing the book, while the third author has taken more effort.
The help and assistance rendered by our postgraduate students in preparing this book are enormous. The official website of Nobel Academy has been used for pictures and biographies of Nobel laureates. Web pictures, without copyright protection, were also used in some figures. The remarkable success of the book was due to the active support of the publishers. This is to record our appreciation for the cooperation extended by Shri Jitendar P Vij (Group Chairman), Mr Ankit Vij (Managing Director) and Mr Tarun Duneja (Director-Publishing) of M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India.
We hope that this Seventh edition will be friendlier to the students and be more attractive to the teachers. Now this is in your hands to judge.
“End of all knowledge must be building up of character”
—Mahatma Gandhi
DM Vasudevan
Sreekumari S
Kannan Vaidyanathan
9Preface to the First Edition
There are many textbooks of biochemistry written by Western and Indian authors. Then what is the need for yet another textbook? Putting this question to ourselves, we have waited for many years before embarking on this project. Most Western textbooks do not emphasize nutrition and such other topics, which are very vital to an Indian student. While Indian authors do cover these portions, they sometimes neglect the expanding fields, such as molecular biology and immunochemistry. Thus, during our experience of more than 25 years in teaching, the students have been seen compelled to depend on different textbooks during their study of biochemistry. We have tried to keep a balance between the basic essentials and the advanced knowledge.
This book is mainly based on the MBBS curriculum. However, some advanced portions have also been given in almost all chapters. These areas will be very beneficial to the readers preparing for their postgraduate entrance examinations.
Chapters on diabetes, cancer and AIDS are included in this book. During their clinical years, the students are going to see such cases quite more often, hence knowledge of applied biochemistry of these diseases will be very helpful. The authors, themselves medical graduates, have tried to emphasize medical applications of the theoretical knowledge in biochemistry in almost all the chapters.
A few questions have been given at the end of most of the chapters. These are not comprehensive to cover all the topics, but have been included only to give emphasis to certain points, which may otherwise be left unnoticed by some students.
We are indebted to many persons in compiling this textbook. We are highly obliged to Dr ANP Ummerkutty, Vice-Chancellor, University of Calicut, for his kind gesture of providing an introduction. Dr M Krishnan Nair, Research Director, Veterinary College, Trichur, has provided his unpublished electron micrographs for this book. Dr MV Muraleedharan, Professor of Medicine, and Dr TS Hariharan, Professor of Pharmacology, Medical College, Thrissur, have gone through the contents of this book. Their valuable suggestions on the applied aspects of biochemistry have been incorporated. Two of our respected teachers in biochemistry, Professor R Raghunandana Rao and Professor GYN lyer (both retired) have encouraged this venture. Professor PNK Menon, Dr S Gopinathan Nair, Assistant Professor, Dr Shyam Sundar, Dr PS Vasudevan and Mr K Ramesh Kumar, postgraduate students of this department, have helped in collecting the literature and compiling the materials. Mr Joby Abraham, student of this college has contributed the sketch for some of the figures. Professor CPK Tharakan, retired professor of English, has taken great pains to go through the entire text and correct the usage of English. The secretarial work has been excellently performed by Mrs Lizy Joseph. Many of our innumerable graduate and postgraduate students have indirectly contributed by compelling us to read more widely and thoroughly.
Our expectation is to bring out the new edition every 3 years. Suggestions to improve the contents are welcome from the teachers.
“A lamp that does not glow itself cannot light another lamp”
—Rabindranath Tagore
DM Vasudevan
Sreekumari S