Question

Genetic and molecular biology as applied to pharmacognosy

Answer 1

Molecular genetics is the field of biology that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level and thus employs methods of both molecular biology and genetics. The study of chromosomes and gene expression of an organism can give insight into heredity, genetic variation, and mutations.

Answer 2

Pharmacognosy is considered one of the most attractive areas of pharmacy education. The term “Pharmacognosy” is derived from the Greek words “pharmakon” (drug) and “gnosis” (knowledge) and was delivered in 1811 by the Austrian physician Schmidt, then in 1815 by Seydler in his work Analecta Pharmacognostica

In the past, it was defined as the study of crude drugs of plant and animal origin [2,3], but such broad description can't cope with the increasing specialization in all life sciences and especially in the pharmaceutical field. In fact, pharmacognosy is a multidisciplinary science that developed over the years and adapted itself with the continuously changing environment and the challenges of the future . Thus recently, it incorporates different area of science including science of biogenic drugs, modern analytical techniques, quality control of herbal products, pharmaceuticals, poisons, medicinal foods [1], purified active extracts, fractions essential oil isolation and characterization [6-8], and even application of molecular docking techniques