Vitamins and Coenzymes

Important Terms (Vitamins and Coenzymes)

Coenzymes Small organic molecules that function together with enzymes to catalyze specific types of chemical reactions. Growth factor A material needed in small amounts for growth of an organism. Growth factors for animals are vitamins but other substances may also be growth factors for bacteria, yeasts, etc. Prosthetic groups Coenzymes or similar cocatalytic groups that […]

Vitamins and Coenzymes

COENZYMES are small organic molecules that function with thousands of different enzymes in all organisms, assisting in the catalytic processes needed for life. They often contain vitamins as components. Several coen-zymes participate in the major oxidation and reduction processes of cells. Some assist in the making and breaking of carbon-carbon bonds. Others are carriers of […]

THE DISCOVERY OF VITAMINS AND COENZYMES

As early as 1750 it was recognized that green vegetables and citrus fruits could prevent the dread disease scurvy, which afflicted ancient sea voyagers, causing hemorrhages of skin, gums, and joints, followed by death. At about that time, Captain James Cook showed that sailors could avoid scurvy during long voyages by eating local green vegetables […]

NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS (Vitamins and Coenzymes)

It is difficult to establish the amount of any vitamin that is essential to a human being. Even for animals the amount required for good health must exceed that needed for survival. The enormous individual variation among human beings ensures that any conclusion about the requirement for a nutrient will be incorrect for at least […]

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONS Part 1 (Vitamins and Coenzymes)

The major chemical components of cells include the nucleic acids RNA and DNA, polysaccharides (carbohydrates), fatty materials (lipids), and many thousands of different proteins. Proteins catalyze most of the metabolism, the network of chemical reactions by which cells construct their own substance and by which they obtain and utilize energy for all life processes. Proteins, […]

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONS Part 2 (Vitamins and Coenzymes)

D. Carriers of Single-Carbon Compounds, and Other Roles of Pterin Coenzymes The three coenzymes biotin, tetrahydrofolate, and the vitamin Bi2 derivative methylcobalamin (Fig. 7) act as carriers of the single-carbon compounds CO2, bicarbonate ions, formaldehyde, and formic acid. The combining of biotin with CO2 is not a spontaneous process but depends upon adenosine triphosphate (ATP), […]