COURSE TITLE: BIOCHEMISTRY 1 COURSE CODE: BCHT 201 PLACEMENT/YEAR/LEVEL: 2nd Year/Level 4, 1st Semester M.F.Ullah, Ph.D Showket H.Bhat, PhD

 Fat soluble vitamins ◦ Found in the fats and oils of food. ◦ Absorbed into the lymph and carried in blood with protein transporters = chylomicrons. ◦ *Stored in liver and body fat and can become toxic if large amounts are consumed.

vitamin - A Vitamin – D Vitamin – E Vitamin - K

 Vitamin - A (precursor – beta carotene)  The chemical name of Vitamin A is Retinol.  It is also called as Anti-xeropthalmic Vitamin ◦ Present in 3 forms: retinol (stored in liver), retinal, retinoic acid ◦ Roles in body:  Regulation of gene expression  Part of the visual pigment rhodopsin, maintains clarity of cornea (yes eating carrots is good for your eyesight)  Required for cell growth and division - epithelial cells, bones and teeth  Promotes development of immune cells, especially “Natural Killer Cells”  Antioxidant  Sources - It is readily available in foods of Liver, eggs, butter, whole milk, fish, meat, oils extracted from fishes such as cod liver oil and shark liver oil.  In plants vitamin ‘A’ is present in the form of a carotene (pro- vitamin A). In green leafy vegetable (Spinach amaranth etc.,) other vegetable like carrots, tomato, pumpkin, fruits like papaya and mango and its converted into vitamin ‘A’ in our body.

 Deficiency of vitamin A : Deficiency leads to a variety of disorders of the eyes and this affect the vision, some of the disorders are –  1)Night blindness: The person cannot see the objects in dim light and in nights.  2)Xeropthalmia (or) Dry eyes: The lacrimal glands in the eyes do to produce tears. The conjunctiva (or) the outer most layer of the eye becomes dry  3)The cornea becomes soft and burst open. This leads to the loss of vision and permanent blindness - the major cause of blindness in children.  4)Skin become scaly, rough and is covered with papillae (Small eruptions). The skin looks like that of a toad.  5)Reproductive functions may also be effected in vitamin ‘A’ deficiency.

Vitamin ‘D’ The chemical name of vitamin ‘D’ is Calciferol  Vitamin D precursor is cholesterol. Vitamin D is synthesized from cholesterol by UV from sunlight exposure on skin, therefore is a “non-essential” vitamin. ◦ Roles:  Increases calcium absorption in bone, intestines, kidney. Promotes bone growth and maintenance.  Stimulates maturation of cells – heart, brain, immune system, etc.  Sources: The rich source of Vitamin ‘D’ is sun light and sun light has the capacity to convert cholesterol in our body into Vitamin ‘D’. Vitamin ‘D’ is also present in foods of animal origin such as liver, egg yolk, butter, oils extracted from the livers of fishes such as cod or shark.  Deficiency of vitamin ‘D’ leads to bone deformities such as Rickets. (bent bones and knock knees)

Bowed legs – Characteristic of rickets Beaded ribs – Characteristi c of rickets

VITAMIN E Vitamin E is also called as Tocoferol or Anti-sterility Vitamin. ◦ Roles:  Antioxidant (protects polyunsaturated fats)  Prevention of damage to lungs, RBCs, WBCs (immunity), heart  vitamin E is required for the normal functioning of sex organs.  Sources: It is present in fruits, vegetables, germinating seeds, meat, egg yolk, sunflower oil, cotton seed oil etc   Deficiency disorders: Deficiency leads to sterility in males and abortions in females and also reduces the life span or R.B.C.

VITAMIN K Vitamin K is also called as coagulation vitamin  Vitamin K – produced by bacteria in large intestine ◦ Roles  Promotes synthesis of blood clotting proteins and therefore essentially required for blood clotting  Bone formation ◦ Deficiencies are rare but seen in infants, after prolonged antibiotic therapy, and in patients with decreased bile production. Deficiency disorders: deficiency results in long time for the blood to clot and loss of more blood from injuries  Sources: It is present in green leafy vegetables and in cow milk, in humans vitamin K is synthesized by the bacteria present in the intestines.

DRI stands for “Dietary Reference Intakes” which refers to the recommended amount of a nutrient that needs to be consumed by an individual. DRI varies according to age, sex and conditions such as pregnancy.

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMIN Avital to good vision prevents night blindness severe deficiency causes blindness necessary for healthy skin, hair growth keeps mucous membranes healthy VITAMIN Dfound in foods and obtained from the sun helps bones use the mineral calcium to build strong bones prevents rickets VITAMIN Ehelps breakdown polyunsaturated fats antioxidant, protecting blood cell membranes from overexposure to oxygen VITAMIN Kessential for clotting of blood found in foods and manufactured by Vitamin K producing bacteria in the small intestines Vitamins : An Overview

WATER SOLUBLE VITAMIN Cmost famous vitamin (also called ascorbic acid) helps form collagen or body cement helps in growth and repair of body tissue and blood vessels prevents scurvy can be decreased by cigarette smoking, stressful injuries and oral contraceptives excessive doses can cause kidney stones and break down red blood cells VITAMIN B COMPLEX B1 - Thiamineenergy metabolism, nerve function, & muscle control B2 - Riboflavininvolved in use of fat, protein and carbohydrates Niacinenergy metabolism, maintain healthy nervous system and skin B6normal immune and nervous system B12producing antibodies, helps folacin function, maintenance of nerve tissue Folacinsynthesize DNA cell division

 Vitamins are very sensitive to heat. Over cooking leads to destruction of its chemical nature.  Excess intake of antibiotics, destroy useful bacteria in our intestine, further leads to vitamin B 12 and vitamin K deficiency.  Consuming highly polished rice, leads to vitamin B 1 deficiency.