The water-soluble vitamins

Basic properties

Although the vitamins included in this classification are all water-soluble, the degree to which they dissolve in water is variable. This property influences the route of absorption, their excretion, and their degree of tissue storage and distinguishes them from fat-soluble vitamins, which are handled and stored differently by the body. The active forms and the accepted nomenclature of individual vitamins in each vitamin group are given in the table. The water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and the B vitamins, which include thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), vitamin B₆, niacin (nicotinic acid), vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and biotin. These relatively simple molecules contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; some also contain nitrogen, sulfur, or cobalt.

The water-soluble vitamins, inactive in their so-called free states, must be activated to their coenzyme forms; addition of phosphate groups occurs in the activation of thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B₆; a shift in structure activates biotin, and formation of a complex between the free vitamin and parts of other molecules is involved in the activation of niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and vitamin B₁₂. After an active coenzyme is formed, it must combine with the proper protein component (called an apoenzyme) before enzyme-catalyzed reactions can occur.

Functions

The B-vitamin coenzymes function in enzyme systems that transfer certain groups between molecules; as a result, specific proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are formed and may be utilized to produce body tissues or to store or release energy. The pantothenic acid coenzyme functions in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (also called the Krebs, or citric acid, cycle), which interconnects carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism; this coenzyme (coenzyme A) acts at the hub of these reactions and thus is an important molecule in controlling the interconversion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and their conversion into metabolic energy. Thiamin and vitamin B₆ coenzymes control the conversion of carbohydrates and proteins respectively into metabolic energy during the citric acid cycle. Niacin and riboflavin coenzymes facilitate the transfer of hydrogen ions or electrons (negatively charged particles), which occurs during the reactions of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. All of these coenzymes also function in transfer reactions that are involved in the synthesis of structural compounds; these reactions are not part of the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

Although vitamin C participates in some enzyme-catalyzed reactions, it has not yet been established that the vitamin is a coenzyme. Its function probably is related to its properties as a strong reducing agent (i.e., it readily gives electrons to other molecules).

Metabolism

The water-soluble vitamins are absorbed in the animal intestine, pass directly to the blood, and are carried to the tissues in which they will be utilized. Vitamin B₁₂ requires a substance known as intrinsic factor in order to be absorbed.

Some of the B vitamins can occur in forms that cannot be used by an animal. Most of the niacin in some cereal grains (wheat, corn, rice, barley, bran), for example, is bound to another substance, forming a complex called niacytin that cannot be absorbed in the animal intestine. Biotin can be bound by the protein avidin, which is found in raw egg white; this complex also cannot be absorbed or broken down by digestive-tract enzymes, and thus the biotin cannot be utilized. In animal products (e.g., meat), biotin, vitamin B₆, and folic acid are bound to other molecules to form complexes or conjugated molecules; although none is active in the complex form, the three vitamins normally are released from the bound forms by the enzymes of the intestinal tract (for biotin and vitamin B₆) or in the tissues (for folic acid) and thus can be utilized. The B vitamins are distributed in most metabolizing tissues of plants and animals.

Water-soluble vitamins usually are excreted in the urine of humans. Thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B₆, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, and biotin appear in urine as free vitamins (rather than as coenzymes); however, little free niacin is excreted in the urine. Products (also called metabolites) that are formed during the metabolism of thiamin, niacin, and vitamin B₆ also appear in the urine. Urinary metabolites of biotin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid also are formed. Excretion of these vitamins (or their metabolites) is low when intake is sufficient for proper body function. If intake begins to exceed minimal requirements, excess vitamins are stored in the tissues. Tissue storage capacity is limited, however, and, as the tissues become saturated, the rate of excretion increases sharply. Unlike the other water-soluble vitamins, however, vitamin B₁₂ is excreted solely in the feces. Some folic acid and biotin also are normally excreted in this way. Although fecal excretion of water-soluble vitamins (other than vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, and biotin) occurs, their source probably is the intestinal bacteria that synthesize the vitamins, rather than vitamins that have been eaten and utilized by the animal.

The water-soluble vitamins generally are not considered toxic if taken in excessive amounts. There is, however, one exception in humans: large amounts (50–100 mg; 1 mg = 0.001 gram) of niacin produce dilation of blood vessels; in larger amounts, the effects are more serious and may result in impaired liver function. Thiamin given to animals in amounts 100 times the requirement (i.e., about 100 mg) can cause death from respiratory failure. Therapeutic doses (100–500 mg) of thiamin have no known toxic effects in humans (except rare instances of anaphylactic shock in sensitive individuals). There is no known toxicity for any other B vitamins.