Department of Medical Chemistry

Established in 1922

Head of the Department: Magdalina M. Melkonyan, Professor, DSc

In 1922, on the basis of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of Yerevan State University, an independent Department of General Chemistry was established for the newly established Medical Faculty, which combined general and analytical chemistry courses. An important step in the further development of the chair was the separation of the medical faculty as an independent institute, and now the medical university. Since then the Department has been renamed as follows: Department of Inorganic, Analytic and Clinical Chemistry in 1967; Department of General Chemistry in 1982; Department of General and Bioorganic Chemistry in 1993; Department of Medical Chemistry in 2008.

During  years the Department has been supervised and headed by

S.P. Ghambaryan (1922-1923),

H.H. Akunyan (1924-1937),

A.L. Mnjoyan (1937-1939),

A.K. Harutyunyan (1939-1966),

E.Y. Mkheyan (1967-1981),

G.A. Chukhajyan (1982-1992),

M.M. Melkonyan (since 1993).

Dr. S.P. Ghambaryan (1879-1948) was the founder of the Department; a Corresponding Member of RA National Academy of Sciences, meritorious scientific researcher, professor, the founder of Organic Chemistry in SSRA. Organic chemistry departments in various institutions such as the State University, Agricultural Institute, University of construction and Architecture, Zootechnology and Veterinary institute have been established and supervised under Dr. Ghambaryan’s leadership as well.

Dr. H.H. Akunyan (1924-37) was awarded for the exquisite manual on inorganic chemistry he wrote within 1900-1901 in Berlin. In 1938 Dr. H.H. Akunyan defended a PhD thesis and was conferred a DSc degree. Under the supervision of Prof. A.L. Mnjoyan (1937-39) the Department was adjoined to the Department of Organic Chemistry. Prof. A.K. Harutyunyan, DSc, meritorious scientific researcher, who was the first to write a manual on Analytical Chemistry for practical tasks, was in charge of the Department from 1939 till 1966. The manual was compiled both in Armenian and Russian languages.

Within the past years the following subjects have been conducted to the first-year students and premedical students: inorganic chemistry, general, analytic, colloid, organic, biophysical and bioorganic chemistry. Extensive scientific research projects have been conducted by the department faculty parallel to academic process. Particularly, the quantitative composition of microelements existing in the soil and plants in Armenian region have been studied, chemical composition of muds and peat with excellent therapeutic properties, a number of methods for quantitative determination of proteins have been developed, etc.

The role of glycosphingolipids in cardiovascular diseases and the mechanisms of the adaptive and trophic effects of the sympathetic nervous system have been studied under the supervision of Prof. E.Y. Mkheyan (1967-81). Prof. G.A. Chukhajyan, corresponding member of SSRA National Academy of Sciences, has supervised numerous research activities in 1982 concerning the development of polymer membranes and other materials intended for medical application; particularly, bilayer, self-adhesive membrane called “diplen”, which has successfully been practiced in medical fields (eye diseases, surgery, stomatology) after the permission issued by the USSR Pharmacology Committee.

Since 1993 the Department has been supervised and headed by Prof. M.M. Melkonyan, DSc., member of numerous scientific societies and boards. Prof. Melkonyan has delivered various informative reports throughout local and international conferences and meetings (Russia, USA, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, France etc.). Prof. Melkonyan has been awarded certificates of honour, YSMU and Prime Minister’s memorial medals.

The scientific activity of the chair in recent decades is dedicated to the study of a biochemical mechanisms of the development of neurodegenerative diseases, acoustic stress, and their regulation with the help of compounds of natural and synthetic origin endowed with antioxidant activity.

Currently, the department is training the first-year students of General Medicine, Stomatology, Military Medicine faculties and the YSMU colledge.

The first-year students of the University faculties are taught biophysical and bioorganic chemistry (in different Module formats), which are designed to introduce students to the physicochemical processes occurring in biological systems, their role and significance, and as additional subjects to second-year students of some faculties of the college. Teaching process at the department is conducted in Armenian, Russian and English languages. The main objective of the program material is targeted to that the students should become aware of the mechanisms of physical and chemical processes in the human body, their role and importance in the functioning of living systems. Traditional teaching methods are used in the process of learning: lectures, practical classes, workshops, laboratory classes, students’ self-study. In order to improve the teaching process various didactic materials (slides, video aids, Power Point presentations) are widely used. Different video materials and computer models are used relevantly to the lecture delivered.   The department staff has created an extensive bank of multiple-choice tests in three languages which are used for knowledge evaluation, according to the University adopted unified form. Classes and workshops carried out at the department are cover the lecture material, problem solving, clarification of the practical importance of the studied topics, their application in medicine, the current test-control of knowledge. Laboratory work are aimed at improving independent work skills in the laboratories, carrying out routine laboratory methods, at the same time extending the knowledge on corresponding theme. The final assessment of knowledge is done in a multi-component way, including oral and written answers, computer or written test results.

Constantly acting student scientific group is functioning at the department, the members of which are actively involved in ongoing research studies conducted at the department. Scientific students’ conferences are organized every year, during which students present their reports and are awarded certificates.

During the last few years the department has   published following handbooks, handouts and manuals in Armenian, Russian, English: «Կենսաօրգանական Քիմիա», «Կենսաօրգանական Քիմիա, թեստային հարցաշար», «Selected  Lectures in Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry», «Bioorganic Chemistry» multiple choice questions, «Биоорганическая Химия » сборник тестовых заданий, «General Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry», «General Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry» multiple choice questions,  «Ընդհանուր Քիմիա, Կենսաֆիզիկական Քիմիա», «Ընդհանուր Քիմիա, Կենսաֆիզիկական Քիմիա, թեստային հարցաշար», «Обшая Химия, Биофизическая Химия», «Обшая Химия, Биофизическая Химия» сборник тестовых заданий,   as well as several methodological guidances for laboratory works.

In the recent decades, scientific research conducted at the Department is “Anti-stress and antioxidant properties of some newly synthesized organic compounds and the effectiveness of their use in models of acoustic stress, experimental hypoxia, neurodegenerative diseases”   is involved in the framework of basic funding of the university.

The main research project is the study of anti-oxidative properties of organic compounds synthesized in the Republic of Armenia and the efficacy of their application in acoustic stress and neurodegenerative deseases. It was studied (experimental research on the animals) antioxidant, anti-stress and antihypoxic activity in RA synthesized organic compounds and the effectiveness of their use in the different levels of exposure to noise of different frequency characteristics and duration as well as their effectiveness on models of neurodegenerative pathologies.

Lipid and protein oxidation processes, qualitative and quantitative changes of phospholipids, tocopherol content in mitochondrial fractions of the brain and liver and erythrocyte membranes, cytokines, physico-chemical properties of biomembranes, morphology of immunogenesis organs, cognitive behavior in the conditions of acoustic stress and application of beditin and mesedin were studied within in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Four PhD theses were maintained  based on the results obtained.

In collaboration with the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Tübingen (Germany) the effects of beditin and mesedin on the survival of the brain tissue cell cultures (neurons and astroglial) under normal and hypoxic conditions, as well as neuronal survival and the formation of beta-amyloid in the cortex and hippocampus of the transgenic mice (a model of Alzheimer’s disease) brain are being studied. The studies of mesedin effects on the cytotoxicity, neurogenesis, synaptic transmission, quantitative changes in the protein huntingtin are conducted in cultures of STHdh Q111 / Q111 cells (model of Huntington’s disease).

The study of the effectiveness of different doses of the selective α2-selective blockers beditin and mesedin in in vitro and in vivo experiments is planned to be continued.

To fully understand Mesedin|s structural features, a comparative docking analysis of Mesedin is being conducted to visualize its binding and interaction with the active sites of virtual 3D models of α2 and β adrenergic receptors and compare its interactions with known analogues from the literature. The research is ongoing.

The Department of Medical Chemistry of YSMU is in close scientific relations with the YSMU COBRAIN Scientific and Educational Center for Fundamental Brain Research, the Institutes of Fine Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry named after Academician Buniatyan of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital of Tubingen, Germany

Address: RA, Yerevan, 0025, Koryun 2, YSMU, Department of Medical Chemistry
Tel.: 010301000-326; 010301000-327
E-mail: chemistry@ysmu.am