VITAMINS & MINERALS

Biomedical Important

Vitamins are a group of organic nutrients

required in small quantities, but can not be
synthesized by human body must be supplied
through diet.

Minerals are a group of inorganic elements that

must be provided in the diet.
insufficient deficiency, eg. anemia (Fe)
excess toxicity
 SOLUBILITY

Lipid-soluble Water-soluble
Vitamin A, D, E & K Vitamin B & C
 Vitamin A
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Also known as Retinol and -carotene

Functions:
Visual pigment in retina.
Regulation of gene expression and cell differentiation.
An antioxidant.

Deficiency disease:
Night blindness.
Xerophtalmia.
Skin keratinization.
 -carotene and major vitamin A vitamers
Lipid-soluble Vitamins
 Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health worldwide
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

causing preventable blindness.

The earliest sign of vitamin A deficiency is loss of sensitivity

to green light, then by impairment to dim light, then night
blindness, then xerophtalmia (keratinization of cornea and
skin), then total blindness.

Excess of vitamin A may cause toxic, affecting central

nervous system (headache, nausea, ataxia, norexia), liver
(hepatomegaly, with histologic changes and
hyperlipidemia), calcium homeostasis (thickening of long
bones, hypercalcidemia and calcification of soft tissues),
and skin (dryness, dequamation and alopecia).
 Vitamin D
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Also known as Calciferol.

It is not strictly a vitamin since it can be synthesized in skin
under adequate sunlight exposure.
Functions:
Maintenance of calcium balance.
Enhances intestinal absorption of Ca 2+ .
Mobilizes bone mineral.
Deficiency disease:
Rickets (poor mineralization of bone) in children.
Osteomalacia (bone demineralization) in adults.
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Synthesis of vitamin D in skin

 Metabolism of vitamin D
Lipid-soluble Vitamins
 Deficiency of vitamin D affects children and adults:
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

In children, deficiency causes rickets, ie. bones of

children are undermineralized due to poor absorption of
calcium.
In adults, deficiency causes osteomalacia, ie. bones
demineralization in woman due to little exposure to
sunlight.
Excess of vitamin D intake via diet causes toxic:
In infants, vitamin D intake more than 50 g per day will
result in elevated plasma concentration of calcium that lead
to contraction of blood vessel, high blood pressure and
calcinosis (calcification of soft tissues)
RICKETS
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin E

Also known as Tocopherol, Tocotrienols.

Function as an antioxidant, especially in cell

membranes.

Deficiency causing a serious neurologic disfunction

(extremely rare)
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin E vitamers
Lipid-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin K

Also known as Phylloquinone, Menaquinone.

Functions as a coenzyme in formation of -

carboxyglutamate in enzymes of blood clotting and bone
matrix.
Deficiency disease:
Impaired blood clotting.
Hemorrhagic disease.
Lipid-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin K vitamers
Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B1

Also known as Thiamin.

Functions:
Coenzyme in pyruvate and -ketoglutarate,
dehydrogenase & transketolase.
Nerve conduction (poorly defined)

Deficiency disease:
Beriberi (peripheral nerve damage) or central nervous
system lesion (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome).
Water-soluble Vitamins

Thiamin, thiamin diphosphate and the carbanion form.

Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B2

Also known as Riboflavin.

Functions:
Coenzyme in oxidation and reduction reactions.
Prosthetic group of flavoproteins.

Deficiency disease:
Lesion of corner of mouth, lips and tongue.
Seborrheic dermatitis.
Water-soluble Vitamins

Riboflavin and coenzymes flavin mononucleotide (FMN)

and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)
Water-soluble Vitamins

Niacin

Also known as Nicotinic acid, nicotinamide.

Functions:
Coenzyme in oxidation and reduction reactions.
Functional part of NAD and NADP.

Deficiency disease:
Pellagra (photosensitive dermatitis).
Depressive psychois.
 Niacin (nicotinic acid and nicotinamide) and
Water-soluble Vitamins

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).

Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B6

Also known as Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal, Pyridoxamine.

Functions:
Coenzyme in transamination and decarboxylation of amino
acids and glycogen phosphorylase.
Role in steroid hormone action.

Deficiency disease:
Disorders of amino acid metabolism.
Convulsions.
 Interconversion of vitamin B6 vitamers.
Water-soluble Vitamins
 Vitamin H
Water-soluble Vitamins

Also known as Biotin.

It is widely distributed in foods as biocytin (-amino-biotinyl

lysine).

Function as a coenzyme in carboxylation reactions in

gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis.

Deficiency disease:
Impaired fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
Dermatitis.
 Biotin, biocytin and carboxy-biocytin.
Water-soluble Vitamins
Water-soluble Vitamins

Folic acid
Function as a coenzyme in transfer of one-carbon
fragments.
Deficiency disease: Megaloblastic anemia.

Pantothenic acid
Functions:
Functional part of CoA and acyl carrier protein.
Fatty acid synthesis and metabolism.
 Pantothenic acid and Coenzyme A
Water-soluble Vitamins

(CoASH).
Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B12

Also known as Cobalamin.

Functions:
Coenzyme in transfer of one-carbon fragments.
Metabolism of folic acid.

Deficiency disease: pernicious anemia (megaloblastic

anemia with degeneration of the spinal cord) occurs
when the metabolism of folic acid is blocked resulting in the
failure in vitamin B12 absorption.
 Vitamin B12.
Water-soluble Vitamins

R may be varied to give various

form of the vitamin, eg.:
R = CN - in cyanocobalamin.
R = OH - in hydroxycobalamin.
R = H 2O in aquocobalamin.
R = CH 3 in methylcobalamin.
R = 5-deoxyadenosyl in
5-deoxyadenosyl cobalamin.
 Vitamin C
Water-soluble Vitamins

Also known as Ascorbic acid.

Functions:
Conenzyme in hydroxylation of proline and lysine in
collagen synthesis.
An antioxidant.
Enhances absorption of iron.

Deficiency disease:
Scurvy (impaired wound healing).
Loss of dental cement.
Subcutaneous hemorrhage.
Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin C.
 Minerals
Classifcation of Minerals
Calcium, magnesium, phosphate
Sodium, potassium
Cobalt, copper, iron, zinc,
molybdenum, selenium
Calcium, chromium, iodine, sodium,
magnesium, manganese, potassium
Silicon, vanadium, nickle, tin
Fluoride, lithium
Aluminium, arsenic, antimony, boron,
bromine, cadmium, cesium,
germanium, lead, mercury, silver,
strontium
Function
Structural function
Involved in membrane function:
principal cations of extracellular
and intracellular fluids.
Functions as prosthetic groups in
enzymes.
Regulatory role or role in hormone
action.
Known to be essential, but function
unknown
Have effects in body, but
essentialy is not established.
May occur in blood and known to
be toxic in excess.
Summary
Vitamins are organis nutrient with essential metabolic functions and required in
small amounts but can not be synthesized by human body.
Lipid-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), are hydrophobic molecules requiring normal
fat absorption for their efficient absorption and the avoidance of deficiency.
Vitamin A (retinol), presents in carnivorous diets, and provitamin (-carotene)
found in plants form retinaldehyde utilized in vision, and retinoic acid that acts in
controlling gene expression.
Vitamin D is a steroid prohormone yielding the active hormone derivative
calcitrol, which regulates calsium and phosphate metabolism.
Vitamin E (tocopherol) is the most important antioxidant, acting in the lipid phase
of membranes and protecting against the effect of free radicals.
Vitamin K functions as a cofactor to a carboxylase that acts on glutamate
residues of clotting factor precursor protein to enable the ti chelate calcium.
Summary
Vitamins B-complex act as enzyme cofactors: thiamin is a cofactor in oxidative
decarboxylation of -keto acids and of transketolase in the pentose phosphate
pathway, riboflavin and niacin are cofactors in oxidoreduction reactions
Pantothenic acid is present in coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein, which act as
carrier for acyl groups in metabolic reactions.
Pyridoxine, as pyridoxal phosphate, is the coenzyme for several enzymes of
amino acid metabolism, and of glycogen phosphorylase.
Biotin is the coenzyme for several carboxylase enzymes.

Vitamin B12 and folic acid take part in providing one-carbon residues for DNA
synthesis; deficiency resulting in megaloblastic anemia.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that maintains vitamin E and many metal
cofactrs in the reduced state.
Inorganic mineral must be provided in diet; when insufficient, deficiency
symptoms may arise; when present in excess, thay may toxic.
tHaNkS....