Biochemistry and metabolism of vitamin D / Biohemija i metabolizam vitamina D

Summary Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin, since it is not an essential dietary factor. It is rather a prohormone produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol. Vitamin D and its metabolites may be categorized as either cholecalciferols or ergocalciferols. Cholecalciferol (vi - tamin D3) is the parent compound of the naturally occurring family and is produced in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol on exposure to the ultraviolet B portion of sunlight. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), the parent compound of the other family, is manufactured by irradiation of ergosterol produced by yeasts and its potency is less than one-third of vitamin D3’s potency. The steps in the vitamin D endocrine system include the following: 1) the photoconversion of 7- dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D3 in the skin or dietary intake of vitamin D3; 2) metabolism of vitamin D3 by the liver to 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 [25(OH)D3 ], the major form of vitamin D circulating in the blood compartment; 3) conversion of 25(OH)D3 by the kidney (functioning as an endocrine gland) to the hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3 ]; 4) systemic transport of the dihydroxylated metabolite 1,25(OH)2D3 to d