Lecture 15 - micronutrients part 2 Flashcards
What is a redox reaction?
involves the transfer of electron between two substrates. many biochemical reactions are essentially electron transfers
- large number of micronutrients are involved in redox reactions
What are the primary electron carriers in the body
NADH and FADH2
What is reduction?
electron donor gives its electron to electron acceptor (gained electrons)
What is oxidation?
electron donor loses its electrons to the electron acceptor (lost electrons)
ROS
reactive oxygen species
How are ROS produced?
as a by-product of the ETS when proper electron flow fails
occurs in an O2 rich environment, where oxygen can react with electrons
What are radicals?
elements that have unpaired electrons
What are the steps to reactive oxygen species?
- O2 reacts with one electron in mitochondrial leakage to produce O2’- superoxide anion radical (modest reactivity) or it can ideally react with 4 electrons to produce 2H2O
- superoxide anion radical reacts with another electron using superoxide dismutase (SOD) as donor to produce H2O2 hydrogen peroxide
- from here H2O2 can react with glutathione peroxidase to make 2H2O or react with an electron to make OH’ hydroxyl radical (very reactive)
Is the OH radical bad?
yes, it attacks macromolecules (DNA, lipids) leads to cancer, cell death
What are the molecules that are under the vitamin E umbrella?
8 structurally-related compounds (known as vitamers)
- 4 tocopherols
- 4 tocotrienols
What is a tocopherol?
have saturated s.c. with 16 carbons
What are tocotrienols?
have unsaturated s.c. with 16 carbons
What is the only vitamin E molecule that has significant activity in the body?
alpha tocopherol
Where are vit E vitamers found?
naturally in foods
What are vitamers?
chemical compounds that have similar molecular structure, each showing vitamin activity to some extent
What are some characteristics of tocopherols?
- saturated s.c. (phytyl tail)
- alpha isoform has the most methylated ring
- one of the hydroxyl on the ring is the antioxidant site
- transport mediated uptake in the small intestine
What are the four tocopherols?
alpha
beta
gamma
delta
What are the four tocotrienols?
alpha
beta
gamma
delta
What are some characteristics of tocotrienols?
- unsaturated side chain
- lower levels in food compared to tocopherols
- transport mediated uptake in the small intestine
- tocotrienols have antioxidant activity in the liver only
What are some foods that vitamin E is found in?
nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, avocado
Why is vitamin E mostly obtained in plants?
vit E is stored in adipose tissue in animals and we don’t normally eat the fat
What is a special feature about vit E in foods?
it is sensitive to food preparation and storage
What is the vit E RDA based on?
only alpha tocopherol
How is alpha tocopherol levels determined?
tests that examined the hemolysis of red blood cells in the presence of dilute H2O2
What populations can vit E deficiency occur in?
- pre-mature infants (kept in oxygen rich incubators, which increases oxidative stress) who are then at risk for hemolytic anemia
- people with fat malabsorption disorders or gallbladder removed, which can reduce absorption of dietary fats
- people with genetic defects in lipoproteins or TTP, which prevents transports of alpha-tocopherol around the body