Metabolism - Exam #3, Fat-Soluble Vitamins Flashcards
What is Vitamin A?
- Several compounds that either start or lead to all-trans retinol = RETINOL;
- Also called preformed Vitamin A or Retinoids
What are the Retinoids?
- Retinol;
- Retinal;
- Retinoic acid;
- Retinyl esters;
- Synthetic analogues
Who discover Vit. A?
- McCollum and Davis followed by Osborne and Mendel (1915);
- Found essential for growth in animals and was called fat-soluble A
What are PROvitamin A Carotenoids?
- Compounds that are PRECURSORS to vitamin A;
- More than 600 carotenoids (lipid-soluble red, orange, and yellow pigments produced by plants);
- But fewer than 10% can be converted to vitamin A (provitamin A);
- NO requirements have been set for any carotenoids other than those included with vitamin A as provitamin A
What is the structure of Retinoids?
-Beta-ionone ring and a polyunsaturated side chain, trans- or cis double bonds possible;
-Carotenoids are mainly all-trans, but can be cis;
-3 main active carotenoids =
oBeta-carotene
oAlpha-carotene
oBeta-cryptoxanthin
How is Vit. A found in foods?
- Retinyl esters and retinyl esters and carotenoids often complexed with PROTEIN;
- Then freed by PEPSIN in the stomach or PROTEOLYTIC ENZYME in the duodenum
How is Retinol digested?
- Retinol is freed by pancreatic and intestinal brush border HYDROLASES and ESTERASES;
- Bile is important for typical fat digestion
How is Vit. A absorbed into the Intestine?
- Micellar “solutions” containing carotenoids and vitamin A are absorbed across brush border into enterocytes in duodenum and jejunum;
- Normal doses = specific protein carriers;
- High doses = passive diffusion, which is nonsaturable;
- Carotenoids may be absorbed by a carotenoid transporter called “scavanger receptor class B type 1” (SR-B1)
What is the rate of Vit. A absorption?
- 70% to 90% of retinol is absorbed if meal contains ~10 g or more of fat;
- Carotenoid absorption is quite variable depending on the food processing = <5% absorption from uncooked vegetables to about 60% if present as a pure oil or in aqueous dispersion supplement
- *Typical range of absorption is 20 to 50%
What can inhibit Vit. A absorption?
- Fiber (pectin) appears to INHIBIT MICELLE formation and inhibit absorption of carotenoids;
- Carotenoids also enhance/inhibit other carotenoids (so variety and moderation are key words);
- High dietary levels of vitamin E can also lower carotenoid absorption
What happens to Retinol once the micelle passes it through to the intestinal CELL?
- Secondary RE-ESTERIFICATION pathway for retinol is by ARAT (acyl-CoA retinol acyl transferase);
- Vit. A is put back together with other lipids once absorbed and “inside” the body;
- Creates Chylomicrons created WITHIN the intestinal cells
What happens to the Chylomicrons that are made in the enterocytes?
- Intestinal chylomicrons will leave the cell and enter the lymph and ultimately blood circulation;
- As pieces break off these chylomicrons in the blood and tissues (catalyzed by Lipoprotein Lipase), the remnants will be sent back to the LIVER and packed for VLDLs and other lipoproteins to once again enter circulation;
How is Retinoic acid treated differently once absorbed?
Retinoic acid can directly enter the blood where it attaches to ALBUMIN for transport to the liver
What is the mechanism for Vit. A incorporation into chylomicrons?
- Cellular-Retinol-bindind pro II (CRBPII) bind both retinol and retinal;
- Retinal attached to CRBPII becomes retinol also making CRBPII-retinol
- Lecithin retinal acyl transferase (LRAT) esterifies a fatty acid (palmitic) to CRBPII-retinol complex = CRBPII-retinylpalmitate
- Retinyl esters are added with Phopholipids, TAGs, cholesterol esters, carotenoids and apoproteins = Chylomicrons
- Chylomicrons leave for lymph and then blood
- Retinoic acid can directly bind albumin for transport to liver
What are the PROvitamin A carotenoids?
- Beta-carotene
- Alpha-carotene
- Cryptoxanthin
- Metabolized to RETINOIDS in the enterocyte (intestinal cells) and to some extent in liver, adipose, lungs and some in other tissues;
What controls the conversion of the provitamin A forms?
- Conversion is influence by Vit. A status and amounts/forms of carotenoids consumed;
- High vitamin A intake REDUCES ABSORPTION of carotenoids and conversion to vitamin A;
- Also as beta-carotene increases in diet its conversion decreases
How does synthesis of All-Trans Retinal from beta-carotene occur?
- Beta-Carotene is hydrolyzed within the enterocyte (as well as liver, lungs, kidney, and retina) by either noncentral cleavage to alcohols, aldehydes, etc. or by beta-carotene 15,15’-carotenoid dioxygenase;
- Oxygenase (iron-dependent) converts beta-carotene into 2 molecules of RETINAL;
- ~ 60% to 75% of beta-carotene is hydrolyzed and up to 15% of beta-carotene ends up in chylomicrons
What are the basics of Retinoid metabolism?
- Retinol and Retinal are interchangeable;
- Retinal undergoes IRREVERSIBLE conversion to Retinoic Acid, which can enter the portal blood;
- Or Retinoic acid becomes 4-Oxoretinoic acid or Retinoyl Beta-glucuronide;
- Retinol is only converted to Retinyl Beta-glucoronide
What do Chylomicrons carry?
Transport retinyl esters, some free retinol, and carotenoids to EXTRAHEPATIC tissues and then chylomicron remnants taken up by liver;
- Remnants are leftover as Lipoprotein lipase cleave fatty acids and other components off to be used by the tissues;
- Liver wil then created VLDLs
How is Vit. A stored within the body?
- 80% to 95% of Retinol stored in the liver as retinyl esters in STELLATE cells;
- 15 to 20% of body’s vitamin A stored in adipose;
- Retinoic acid does NOT accumulate in tissues
What are the binding proteins for Vit. A and carotenoids?
- CRBPI is high in liver and kidneys
- CRBPII in intestine
- CRBPIII in liver, skeletal muscle, kidneys, and heart; CRBPIV in heart, kidneys, and colon
→ By binding to retinol protects retinoids from oxidation and directs retinoid traffic in cells
What are considered adequate body concentration of Vit. A?
- LIVER stores a minimum of 20mcg/g of liver;
- PLASMA conc of holoRBP (retinol)-TTR (T4) remain fairly consistent = 1.05 to 3 micromol/L (30 to 86 micrograms /dl) and remain fairly constant even when liver stores drop (as long as not too low)
What is the mechanism for uptake by the TISSUES?
- Believed to be through cellular RBP receptors;
- TTR appears to dissociate and holo-RBP binds to the RBP receptor and the new complex is endocytosed;
- Retinol released inside the cell;
- Apo-RBP is released back into the blood for reuse or degradation by the kidney;
- Also a receptor-independent uptake as well (dependent on the tissue)
How are Carotenoids transported and stored within the body?
- STORED in the liver and adipose tissue, but some other tissues concentrate specific carotenoids as the retina of the eye is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin;
- TRANSPORTED in lipoproteins and taken up by lipoprotein specific apoprotein receptors, EX: LDL