vitamin B6

▪ chemical compound

      water-soluble organic compound that is an essential micronutrient for microorganisms and animals. It occurs in three forms: pyridoxine (or pyridoxol), pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine. Pyridoxine was first isolated in 1938 and synthesized in 1939. Pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, which were discovered in the 1940s, are responsible for most of the vitamin B₆ activity in animal tissues. Vitamin B₆ is widely distributed in foodstuffs and is particularly abundant in cereal grains, meats, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables. The chemical structure of the vitamin B₆ family is as follows:

      Vitamin B₆ is active in its coenzyme form of pyridoxol phosphate and functions in the formation and breakdown of amino acids, and hence indirectly of protein, and in the regulation of blood glucose levels. It is also involved in the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and of heme (a molecular constituent of hemoglobin) and in the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan to the vitamin niacin.

      No human disease has been found to be caused by a deficiency of vitamin B₆ in the diet, although certain metabolic disorders (metabolic disease) respond to its administration. However, a long-term deficiency of the vitamin can cause symptoms such as dermatitis, mental depression, confusion, or convulsions. In experimental animals, vitamin B₆ deficiency produces skin lesions that depend to some extent on the other constituents of the diet; e.g., the lesions in rats may not appear if certain fats are present in the food.

       vitaminsAn excess of vitamin B₆ can cause nerve damage in the arms and legs, as well as other nervous changes. (See table of the vitamins (vitamins).)

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