To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser.
my.chemeurope.com
With an accout for my.chemeurope.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter.
- My watch list
- My saved searches
- My saved topics
- My newsletter
7-Dehydrocholesterol
7-Dehydrocholesterol is a zoosterol that functions in the serum as a cholesterol precursor, and is converted to pre-vitamin D3 in the skin, therefore functioning as provitamin-D3. The presence of this compound in human skin enables humans to manufacture vitamin D3 from ultra-violet rays in the sun light, via an intermediate isomer pre-vitamin D3. It is also found in the milk of several mammalian species.[1] It was discovered by Nobel-laureate organic chemist Adolf Windaus. Additional recommended knowledge
LocationThe skin consists of two primary layers: the inner layer called the dermis, composed largely of connective tissue, and the outer thinner epidermis. The thickness of the epidermis ranges from 0.08mm to more than 0.6mm (0.003 to 0.024 inches).[2] The epidermis consists of five strata; from outer to inner they are: the stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum basale. The highest concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol are found in the epidermal layer of skin, specifically in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum.[3] The production of pre-vitamin D3 is therefore greatest in these two layers, whereas production in the other layers is reduced. RadiationSynthesis of pre-vitamin D3 in the skin involves UVB radiation which effectively penetrates only the epidermal layers of skin. 7-Dehydrocholesterol absorbs UV light most effectively at wavelengths between 270–290 nm and thus the production of vitamin D3 will only occur at those wavelengths. The two most important factors that govern the generation of pre-vitamin D3 are the quantity (intensity) and quality (appropriate wavelength) of the UVB irradiation reaching the 7-dehydrocholesterol deep in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum.[3] Another important consideration is the quantity of 7-dehydrocholesterol present in the skin. Under normal circumstances, ample quantities of 7-dehydrocholesterol (about 25–50 mg/cm2 of skin) are available in the stratum spinosum and stratum basale of human skin to meet the body's vitamin D requirements. See also
References
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "7-Dehydrocholesterol". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |