Fat soluble vitamins Flashcards
(28 cards)
Which molecules are very water soluble?
- COOH
- C-Cl
Which molecules are moderately water soluble?
-COH
Which molecules are not water soluble (fat soluble)?
-CH2-CH2-CH3
What are the fat soluble vitamins?
K, A, D, E
What are the water soluble vitamins?
all the others - especially B group & C
Which vitamins can herbivores not produce?
A & E (fat soluble)
Which vitamins can most animals produce?
C & D (vit D needs sunlight)
Which vitamins can microbes produce?
B group & K
In which conditions may vitamin supplements be needed?
- When on antibiotics
- high grain diets or drought (Vit A & E)
- poor quality diets
- animals in poor sunlight (vit D)
- stress or infection
- nervous or hyperactive
- reduced appetite
- anaemia
How should vitamins be stored?
cool & dry to maintain potency
Vitamin A (retinol) functions/roles…?
- Required for vision -> initiates impulse transmission along optic nerve
- formation & protection of epithelial tissue & mucous membrane
- free radical scavenger (antioxidant)
Deficiency symptoms of vitamin A…? Include sub-clinical deficiency symptoms
Excess lacrimation (tearing) night blindness (lack of rhodopsin synthesis in dark reaction) sub-clinical - rough hair coat, reduced immune response, infertility
Sources of vitamin A…?
green leaves (4-6 weeks grazing green forage provide enough stores (liver) for 3-6 months)
corn
grains (poor)
decreases in cutting & storage
Excess/toxicity of vitamin A…?
fragile bones
dull hair
Vitamin D functions/roles…?
calcium metabolism (uptake from gut & deposition in bone) can be synthesised in skin (UV)
Deficiency symptoms of vitamin D…? Which animals most likely affected?
pet reptiles (animals housed indoors/behind glass as UV does not pass thru glass or plastic) metabolic bone disease (MBD) -> Ca-deficiency -> scoliosis
Vitamin K functions/roles…?
required for synthesis of prothrombin - BLOOD CLOTTING (inactive precursor of thrombin - converts fibrinogen -> fibrin)
Deficiency of vitamin K…?
-> decrease prothrombin & carboxyglutamic acid (needed for Ca binding)
deficiency occurs a few weeks after vit. K not available
causes internal haemorrhage, bruising, poor blood clotting, malformation of dev. bones
What else can cause vitamin K symptoms?
accidental ingestion of rodenticides, anticoagulants, coccidiostats (antiprotozoal agents) which contain vit. K antag’s.
‘sweet clover disease’
Sources of vitamin K…?
Green, leafy material - good source
microbes -> synthesise enough to meet requirements in ruminants
Some conditions in birds deficient in vitamin K?
spontaneous subcutaneous haemorrhage
perifollicular petechiae of the skin (due to frail capillary walls)
Vitamin E storage & functions (many)…?
Stored in liver (dietary fat is needed for absorption of vit E from GIT)
(8 different isoforms)
ANTIOXIDANT (ESP FOR FAT METABOLISM)
IMMUNE FUNCTION
aids in RBC formation & use of vit K
replete endothelial cells of blood vessels -> resist platelets adhesion (prevent ‘false-alarm’ clotting in capillaries)
cell signalling (regulate gene expression)
neuro function
How do vitamins E and C work together as antioxidants?
Fat metabolism (oxidation) in cell membrane -> free radical + active electron. Vit. E ‘mops’ up the electron. Vit. C comes along, accepts the electron and passes it onto electron carrier (NADH) while vit. C returns to its active form
What are the 3 likely situations for Vitamin E deficiency…?
usually caused by poor uptake rather than inadequate diet
- premature, very low birth weight animals
- animals which cannot absorb dietary fat
- animals with rare genetic disorders of fat metabolism
