Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)- help to prevent pellagra

Niacin is a water-souluble vitamin, also known as vitamin B3. Niacin is the generic term for nicotinic acid (pyridine 3-carboxylic acid) and nicotinamide (nicotinic acid amide) and the coenzyme forms of the vitamin.

Nicotinamide is the active form, which functions as a constituent of two coenzymes, namely, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). In the forms of these coenzymes, niacin functions in many biological redox reactions which activate about 200 dehydrogenases essential to electron transport and other cellular respiratory reactions. NAD functions as an electron carrier for intracellular respiration as well as a co-factor for enzymes involved in the oxidation (catabolism) of fats, proteins, carbohydrates and alcohol to produce energy. NADP functions as a hydrogen donor in reductive biosynthesis (anabolism), such as in fatty acid and steroid synthesis. Like NAD, NADP is a cofactor for enzymes, such as in the oxidation of glucose-6-phosphate to ribose-5-phosphate in the pentose phosphate pathway.



In non-redox reactions, NAD is the substrate for two classes of enzymes that separate the niacin moiety from NAD and transfer ADP-ribose to proteins. A third class of enzymes catalyses the formation of cyclic ADP-ribose. This molecule also functions within cells to provoke the release of calcium ions from internal storage sites and may also plays a role in cell-signaling.

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