Vitamin diffusion

In humans, vitamin B in phosphorylated forms is mostly unavaHable until hydrolyzed, then passively absorbed in the smaH intestine. The free vitamins are interconverted and suppHed to the ckculation by the Hver, then enter ceHs by simple diffusion and are phosphorylated. A typical adult pool of... 

Other microporous materials have been synthesized using the porogen polyethylene glycol in polyethylene oxide-urethane gels [27]. Micropores were formed in the gel, and it was found that the diffusion of larger species, vitamin B12, was enhanced relatively more than that of a smaller species, proxyphylline. This result is in qualitative agreement with that found for electrophoretic transport by RiU et al. [322] discussed earher, where the mobility of larger species was preferentially enhanced in the templated media. 

A thorough discussion of the mechanisms of absorption is provided in Chapter 4. Water-soluble vitamins (B2, B12, and C) and other nutrients (e.g., monosaccharides, amino acids) are absorbed by specialized mechanisms. With the exception of a number of antimetabolites used in cancer chemotherapy, L-dopa, and certain antibiotics (e.g., aminopenicillins, aminoceph-alosporins), virtually all drugs are absorbed in humans by a passive diffusion mechanism. Passive diffusion indicates that the transfer of a compound from an aqueous phase through a membrane may be described by physicochemical laws and by the properties of the membrane. The membrane itself is passive in that it does not partake in the transfer process but acts as a simple barrier to diffusion. The driving force for diffusion across the membrane is the concentration gradient (more correctly, the activity gradient) of the compound across that membrane. This mechanism of... 

Bleaching is reversed in the dark and the red-purple color of rhodopsin returns. This is thought to occur by the reduction of all-Pms-retinal to vitamin Ai (retinal), which diffuses from the rod into the pigment epithelium, where it is converted enzymatically to the 1 l-c isomer of vitamin At. The enzymatic isomerization is followed by diffusion back into the rod, oxidation to 11 -rfr-retinal, and combination with opsin to form rhodopsin. This process is shown schematically in Figure 12.5.[Pg.289]

Another important vitamin is folate, which is required for purine and pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. Since folate and its derivatives are generally lipo-phobic anions, they do not traverse biological membranes via simple diffusion but rather have to be taken up into the cells by specific transport processes... 

An X-ray crystal structure determination of calciferol (vitamin D-2,71) showed that steric crowding in the s-cis diene system resulted in a twisted conformation with a dihedral angle of 53° [59], On irradiation with a mercury lamp, it was partially converted into ergosterol (72) and tachysterol (73) [60, 61]. When a solution of calciferol in light petroleum containing a trace of iodine was exposed to diffuse daylight, the vitamin was photoisomerized to (74) [62],... 

Absorption - Calcium is absorbed from the Gl tract by passive diffusion and active transport. Calcium must be in a soluble, ionized form for absorption to occur. Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption and increases the absorptive mechanisms. 

Most cobalt found on earth is diffused into the rocks. It also is found in coal and soils, and at trace concentations in animals and plants. It is an essential element for plants and animals (as vitamin B12). Its absence in animals can cause retarded growth, anemia and loss of apetite. The element has been detected in meteorites and in the atmospheres of the sun and other stars. 

Calcium is present in three forms e.g., as free calcium ion, bound to plasma protein albumin and in diffusable complexes. The endocrine system, through parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, helps in keeping the concentration of ionized plasma calcium in normal level. Decrease in plasma levels of ionized calcium leads to increased parathyroid hormone secretion. Parathyroid hormone tends to increase plasma calcium level by increasing bone resorption, increasing intestinal absorption and increasing reabsorption of calcium in kidney. Vitamin D acts by stimulating... 

NAD+ and NADP+. This difference reflects the chemical difference between the vitamins riboflavin and nicotinamide which form the oxidation-reduction centers of the coenzymes. Another difference is that NAD+ and NADP+ tend to be present in free forms within cells, diffusing from a site on one enzyme to a site on another. These coenzymes are sometimes tightly bound but flavin coenzymes are usually firmly bound to proteins, fixed, and unable to move. Thus, they... 

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