Vitamins Pantothenic acid & Biotin Flashcards
Name the vitamin that is important in blood clotting
Vitamin K
What is vitamin K important in ?
Blood clotting and the formation of mineralised tissue
Name the main sources of vitamin K from your diet
- Green veg
- Egg yolk
- Liver
- Cereals
Where is vitamin k made in the body?
Made by gut bacteria (about half of out vitamin K comes from the gut bacteria)
What can vitamin K deficiency be caused by?
- Lack of vitamin K in the diet
- long term antibiotic use decreasing levels of gut bacteria
- Taking anticoagulant drugs like warfarin
- Neworn babes have a sterile gut so can’t make vitamin K in the first week of their life
What is the function of vitamin K
It inessential in the formation of gamma carboxyglutamate carbon
Give examples of gamma carboxyglutamate
Amino acid glutamate that can a carboxyl group added to the gamma carbon end of its side chain
How do babies get vitamin K in the fist week of their life and why is vitamin K important for babies?
Babies are given a vitamin K injection after first to protect them against internal bleeding
How does vitamin K help in the gamma carboxylation reaction?
Vitamin k acts as a coenzyme
Why is the extra carboxyl group added to a gamma carbon in proteins?
the extra carboxyl group allows γ carboxyglutamate to bind calcium ions
Wha is the function of gamma-carboxyglutamate containing proteins
- Important in blood clotting
2. In bone mineralisation
Which blood clotting factors contain gamma-carboxyglutamate?
Clotting factors ii. Vii, IX and X
What effect does a vitamin K deficiency have on gamma-carboxyglutamate ?
THE gamma-carboxyglutamate remains as glutamate and clotting is impaired
How do anticoagulants like warfarin work?
Warfarin is antagonistic to vitamin K so inhibits the clotting by preventing gamma carboxylation
This means calcium ions can’t bind and calcium ions are required for blood clotting
What is used to treat warfarin poisoning?
Vitamin K injection
Name a protein important in bone mineralisation
Osteocalcin
How is gamma-carboxyglutamate used in bone mineralisation
As osteocalcin contains gamma-carboxyglutamate
What risk do babies born to mothers taking warfarin have?
They have a risk of having severe bone deformities (foetal warfarin syndrome)
What is the recommended amount of vitamin A a person should have?
Men: 700mg a day
Women: 600mg a day
What is another name for vitamin A?
Retinol
Give some sources of vitamin A we can get from our diet
- Butter
- Whole milk
- Egg you
- Liver
- Fish oils
- Most green/ yellow or orange vegetables
What happens if someone takes too much vitamin A
Excess intake of vitamin A is toxic and leads to:
- skin disorders
- nerve disorders
- Congenital foetal malformation
What should pregnant women avoid eating and why?
Liver as it contains a lot of vitamin A
Why can vitamin A lead to congenital foetal malformation?
As it is a teratogenic
Name the three active forms of vitamin A
- Retinal
- Retinoic acid
- B carotene
What is the function of retinal?
Retinal binds to opsin to form the visual pigment rhodopsin
What is rhodopsin?
It is the pigment in the retinal rod cell which allows us to see in low light conditions
What is the function of retinoid acid?
It acts as a steroid hormone increasing the transcription of proteins controlling cell growth and differentiation of cells (important in growth and development)
What is B carotene
An antioxidant
What is the function of B carotene
It is an antioxidant important in protecting DNA against oxidative damage which may cause cancer
What is the MAIN function of vitamin A?
To control cell division and differentiation
Name some metabolic processes where vitamin A is important
- Immunity
- Bone and teeth development
- Reproduction
- Health of epithelial cells
- Maintaining stability of cell membranes
Where is vitamin A stored?
In the liver
What are mild vitamin A deficiencies characterised by?
Characterised by:
- follicular hyperkeratosis
- Anaemia
- Increased susceptibility to infection
- Night blindness
What can severe vitamin A lead to?
Leads to progressive keratinisation of the cornea leading to xerophthalmia
What can the progression of xerophthalmia lead to?
In the final stages infection usually sets in with resulting haemorrhaging of the eye and permanent loss of vision
What are some oral implications of vitamin A deficiency?
- Inadequate differentiation of cells leading to impaired healing
- Desquamation of oral mucosa
- Keratosis
- Gingival hypertrophy
- Loss of taste
- Disturbed enamel
- Dentine formation
What is vitamin A deficiency a cause of?
It is the most most important
preventable cause of blindness.