Metabolism - Exam #2, Part 1 Flashcards
Who discovered the first VITAMIN in the early 20th century?
- Casimer Funk;
- From rice polishings and was an anti beriberi substance;
- “Vitamine” = amine vital for life
Why was the name changed to just Vitamin?
- “Vita” means “life” in Latin;
- But found that only a few substances were actually amines
What was the main reason for the discovery of Vitamins?
- Because of their ABSENCE in diets of animals and people;
- Found due symptoms that developed from DEFICIENCIES!!;
- Today more is known about deficiency than sufficiency for optimal health
What is the key focus of Interactions?
- Think more about what the vitamin DOES than what happens if it is deficient;
- Sometimes difficult to relate function to deficiency;
- Focus now should be on OPTIMAL HEALTH, not just avoiding deficiency
How were the chemical structures/ of Vitamins discovered?
- Isolation and synthesis;
- Each was then given a name of a single substance, but it was discovered that vitamins may have a VARIETY of FUNCTIONS
What are Vitamers?
- Vitamin activity may be found in several closely related compounds;
- One or more related chemical substances that fulfill the same specific vitamin function;
- EX: Vitamin A with retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid that can have different functions
What are Vitamins?
- Organic compounds with regulatory functions;
- Essential nutrients that cannot be synthesized or not in adequate amounts;
- Not chemically related to each other;
- Fat-Soluble = A, D, E, K;
- Water Soluble = Vit. C and B-Vits
How do Fat-Soluble Vitamins travel in the body?
- Fat-soluble vitamins bypass the liver like fats;
- Travel through the Lymph
How do Water-Soluble Vitamins travel in the body?
- Water-soluble vitamins are abosorbed into the portal blood through the portal vein from the GI tract;
- They are NOT STORED except in a pool of cell in their binding enzymes and transport proteins and excesses excreted in urine;
- But, B12 can remain for long periods
How are the recommendations for vitamins provided?
- Established EARs from biological markers and then derived RDAs;
- When insufficient data for EAR, AI is provided based on observation
What is Vitamin C?
- 6-carbon compound;
- L-isomer is ACTIVE:
- NOT called vit. C in mammals, but ASCORBIC ACID or ASCORBATE
What causes the human inability to synthesize Vitamin C?
- Lack of the last enzyme in the synthetic pathway = Glucolactone oxidase;
- Also, Primates, fruit bats, guinea pigs, and some birds cannot SYNTHESIZE the L-ascorbic acid
What is Scurvy?
- Vitamin C deficiency disease;
- Body pools below 300 mg and plasma vitamin C below 0.2 mg/dl;
- “spitting out teeth below ship’s deck”;
- Fatal if untreated;
- Can be prevented with intakes as little as 10mg Vit. C per day = RARE to develop
- Symptoms are due to compromised COLLAGEN structure which causes weakening of blood vessels, connective tissues and bone
When was Vitamin C discovered?
-Isolated in 1928 and its structure determined in 1933;
-Szent-Györgyi (1928) and King (1932) are both given credit for the co-discovery;
Haworth determined its structure
-Szent-Györgyi and Haworth won Nobel prize in 1937
What are the food sources of Vitamin C?
- Present in many fruits & vegetables;
- CITRUS products most often given credit as the best source
What are the types of Vitamin C supplements?
- Free ascorbic acid;
- Calcium ascorbate;
- Sodium ascorbate;
- Ascorbyl palmitate;
- Often see rose hips (seed capsule on roses) on labels of vitamin C supplements
What DIGESTION of Vitamin C takes place?
-NO DIGESTION required for absorption into intestinal cells
How is Vitamin C absorbed?
- Absorption by SVCT1 (higher capacity) & SVCT2 that are sodium co-transporters
- Sodium-dependent Vitamin C Transporter;
- REDUCTION prior to absorption so absorbed as ascorbate by SVCTs
How is the OXIDIZED form of Vitamin C absorbed?
- Dehydroascorbate absorbed via GLUT1 and GLUT3 transporters;
- Dehydroascorbate is converted in intestinal and other cells to ASCORBATE;
- Tissue Cells have SCVT1 for ascorbate
- SVCT2 present in most tissues except skeletal muscle and lungs
What cells lack the SVCT2 for Vitamin C?
- Red blood cells;
- Los SVCT proteins during maturation;
- “SVCT2 knockout” animals genetically engineered to lack this functional gene, die shortly after birth, suggesting that SVCT2-mediated vitamin C transport is necessary for life
What is the absorption rate for Vitamin C?
-Usual intakes are 30-180 mg/day and absorbed at 70 to 90%, respectively;
-ABSORPTION decreases with higher intakes =
16% at intakes ~12 g vs. 98% at low intakes < 20 mg
What is the main regulator for Vitamin C absorption?
- Intake!!;
- At HIGH intakes will absorb much less because the excess not needed by the body will be excreted;
- Water-soluble vitamins are not stored!;
- At LOW intakes absorption will be very high so they body will utilize ALL that is consumed
When does Simple Diffusion of Vitamin C occur?
- At high amounts of vitamin C throughout stomach and small intestine → Occurs through anion channels
- Diffuses through anionic channels into blood and exists as FREE vitamin in blood
Where is the greatest concentration of Vitamin C?
- Tissues have GREATER amounts than blood;
- Maximal vitamin C pool is 2g
- Highest concentrations in ADRENAL and PITUITARY GLANDS
- High levels also in white blood cells, eyes and brain;
- Assume in free form in tissues and compartmentalized for reactions