Thiamine

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Thiamine or thiamin, also known as vitamin B1 and aneurine hydrochloride, is one of
the B vitamins. It is a colorless compound with chemical formula C!"#$%& '. It is
solu(le in water and insolu(le in alcohol. )hiamine decomposes if heated. Its chemical
structure contains a pyrimidine ring and a thia*ole ring.
History
)hiamine was first discovered in +, (y -metaro 'u*uki in Japan when researching
how rice (ran cured patients of (eri(eri. "e named it aberic acid .later oryzanin/. "e
did not determine its chemical composition, nor that it was an amine. It was first
crystalli*ed (y Jansen and 0onath in +!1 .they named it aneurin, for antineuritic
vitamin/. Its chemical composition and synthesis was finally reported (y 2o(ert 2.
Williams in +34. "e also coined the current name for it, thiamine.
Nutrition
)hiamine plays an important role in helping the (ody meta(oli*e car(ohydrates and fat to
produce energy. It is essential for normal growth and development and helps to maintain
proper functioning of the heart and the nervous and digestive systems. )hiamine is water5
solu(le and cannot (e stored in the (ody6 however, once a(sor(ed, the vitamin is
concentrated in muscle tissue.
Good sources
)hiamine is found naturally in the following foods, each of which contains at least ,.
mg of the vitamin per !75,, g .53.4 o*/:
8citation needed9
green peas, spinach, liver, (eef,
pork, navy (eans, nuts, pinto (eans, (ananas, soy(eans, go:i (erries, whole5grains,
(reads, yeast, vegemite, the aleurone layer of unpolished rice, and legumes.
Deficiency
'ystemic thiamine deficiency can lead to myriad pro(lems including neurodegeneration,
wasting and death. ; lack of thiamine can (e caused (y malnutrition, alcoholism, a diet
high in thiaminase5rich foods .raw freshwater fish, raw shellfish, ferns/ and<or foods high
in anti5thiamine factors .tea, coffee, (etel nuts/.
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Well5known syndromes caused (y thiamine deficiency include Wernicke5=orsakoff
syndrome and (eri(eri, diseases also common with chronic alcoholism.
It is thought that many people with dia(etes have a deficiency of thiamine and that this
may (e linked to some of the complications that can occur.
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Diagnostic testing
; positive diagnosis test for thiamine deficiency can (e ascertained (y measuring the
activity of the en*yme transketolase in erythrocytes. )hiamine can also (e seen directly in
whole (lood following the conversion of thiamine to a fluorescent thiochrome derivative.
"owever, this test may not reveal the deficiency in dia(etic patients.
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Thiamine phosphate derivatives
)here are four known natural thiamine phosphate derivatives: thiamine monophosphate
.)h>?/, thiamine diphosphate .)h0?/ or thiamine pyrophosphate .)??/, thiamine
triphosphate .)h)?/, and the recently discovered adenosine thiamine triphosphate
.;)h)?/.
Thiamine pyrophosphate
)hiamine pyrophosphate .)??/, also known as thiamine diphosphate .)h0?/, is a
coen*yme for several en*ymes that cataly*e the dehydrogenation .decar(o@ylation and
su(seAuent con:ugation to Coen*yme ;/ of alpha5keto acids. B@amples include:
In mammals:
o pyruvate dehydrogenase and C5ketoglutarate dehydrogenase .meta(olism
of car(ohydrates/
o (ranched5chain alpha5keto acid dehydrogenase
o !5hydro@yphytanoyl5Co; lyase
o transketolase .functions in the pentose phosphate pathway to synthesi*e
$;0?" and the pentose sugars deo@yri(ose and ri(ose /
In other species:
o pyruvate decar(o@ylase .in yeast/
o several additional (acterial en*ymes
)?? is synthesi*ed (y the en*yme thiamine pyrophosphokinase, which reAuires free
thiamine, magnesium, and adenosine triphosphate.
[edit] Thiamine triphosphate
)hiamine triphosphate .)h)?/ was long considered a specific neuroactive form of
thiamine. "owever, recently it was shown that )h)? e@ists in (acteria, fungi, plants and
animals suggesting a much more general cellular role. In particular in E. coli it seems to
play a role in response to amino acid starvation.
denosine thiamine triphosphate
;denosine thiamine triphosphate .;)h)?/ or thiaminylated adenosine triphosphate has
recently (een discovered in Escherichia coli where it accumulates as a result of car(on
starvation. In E. coli, ;)h)? may account for up to !, D of total thiamine. It also e@ists
in lesser amounts in yeast, roots of higher plants and animal tissues.
Genetic diseases
It has (een suggested that this section (e split into a new article entitled Thiamine-
responsive megaloblastic anemia with diabetes mellitus and sensorineural
deafness. .0iscuss/
Eenetic diseases of thiamine transport are rare (ut serious. )hiamine 2esponsive
>egalo(lastic ;nemia with dia(etes mellitus and sensorineural deafness .)2>;/
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is an
autosomal recessive disorder caused (y mutations in the gene 'FC+;!,
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a high affinity
thiamine transporter. )2>; patients do not show signs of systemic thiamine deficiency,
suggesting redundancy in the thiamine transport system. )his has led to the discovery of a
second high affinity thiamine transporter, 'FC+;3.
8#9879
!esearch
High doses
)he 20; in most countries is set at a(out .% mg. "owever, tests on volunteers at daily
doses of a(out 4, mg have claimed an increase in mental acuity.
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Thiamine as an insect repellent
'ome studies suggest that taking thiamine !4 to 4, mg three times per day is effective in
reducing mosAuito (ites. ; large intake of thiamine produces a skin odor that is not
detecta(le (y humans, (ut is disagreea(le to female mosAuitoes.
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)hiamine takes more
than ! weeks (efore the odor fully saturates the skin. With the advances in topical
preparations there is an increasing num(er of thiamine (ased repellent products. )here is
anecdotal evidence of thiamine products (eing effective in the field .;ustralia, -' and
Canada/,
8citation needed9
(ut one study found thiamine had no effect.
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utism
; !,,! pilot study administered thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide .))F0/ rectally to
ten autism spectrum children, and found (eneficial clinical effect in eight.
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)his study
has not (een replicated and a !,,1 review of thiamine (y the same author did not
mention thiamineGs possi(le effect on autism.
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!eferences
. " H)hiaminH, Jane "igdon, >icronutrient Information Center, Finus ?auling Institute
!. I
a

b
)hornalley ?J .!,,4/. H)he potential role of thiamine .vitamin B.// in dia(etic
complicationsH. Curr Diabetes Rev 1 .3/: !7#5+7. ?>I0 7!!,1,4.
3. " 0ia(etes pro(lems Gvitamin linkG, BBC $ews, )uesday, # ;ugust !,,#
%. " 2esearchers find vitamin B deficiency key to vascular pro(lems for dia(etic patients,
-niversity of Warwick
4. " )hiamine 2esponsive >egalo(lastic ;nemia with severe dia(etes mellitus and
sensorineural deafness .)2>;/ ?>I0 !%+!#,
1. " 'FC+;! ?>I0 1,3+%
#. " 'FC+;3 ?>I0 1,14!
7. " &nline G>endelian Inheritance in >anG .&>I>/ !%+!#,
+. " )hiamineGs >ood5>ending Jualities, 2ichard $. ?odel, $utrition 'cience $ews,
January +++.
,. " ?ediatric Clinics of $orth ;merica, 1:+, +1+
. " Ives ;2, ?askewit* '> .!,,4/. H)esting vitamin B as a home remedy against
mosAuitoesH. J. Am. Mos. Control Assoc. #1 .!/: !3K#. ?>I0 1,33!%.
!. " Fonsdale 0, 'ham(erger 2J, ;udhya ) .!,,!/. H)reatment of autism spectrum children
with thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide: a pilot studyH .?0F/. !euro Endocrinol. "ett
#$ .%/: 3,3K7. ?>I0 !+4!3. 2etrieved on !,,#5,75,.
3. " Fonsdale 0 .!,,1/. H; review of the (iochemistry, meta(olism and clinical (enefits of
thiamin.e/ and its derivativesH. Evid #ased Complement Alternat Med $ ./: %+K4+.
?>I0 144,!!3.