Vitamin-Like

Substances
Muti’ah Mustaqimatusy Syahadah, S.Gz, M.Gz

Prodi S1 Gizi Fakultas Kedokteran

Universitas Diponegoro
VITAMIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS
1. Choline (vitamin B4)
2. Carnitine (vitamin B11, vitamin O)
3. Inositol (vitamin B8)
4. Lipoic Acid
5. Para Amino Benzoic Acid – PABA (vitamin B10)
6. Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone)
7. Bioflavonoids (vitamin P)
CHOLINE
 Often associated with B vitamins
 Derived from the diet or synthesized by the body
 Classified as phospholipids → major components of cell membranes
 During fetal development, support the structure and function of brain and
spinal cord
1) Supporting neural tube closure
2) Enhancing learning performance
 Commonly found in foods bound as part of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and
sphingomyelin (SM) (only a small amount of free choline in food)
 Phosphatidylcholine → also called lecithin
 Sources of lecithin : eggs, meats (liver and organs), shrimp, cod, salmon,
wheat germs, soybeans, and peanuts
 Lecithin is often used as an emulsifier for processed foods
 RDA : 425 mg for women and 550 mg for men with UL : 3500 mg
 Biosynthesis (in the liver) : methylation of the phosphatidylethanolamine
(PE) when linked with the catabolism of PC
 Endogenous choline is not sufficient to meet human needs
Metabolism of Choline
 Pancreatic enzymes (phospholipase) hydrolyze choline from its bound
forms to be free choline
 Free choline absorbed by diffusion and carrier-mediated into circulation
 Remaining PC and SM absorbed intact incorporated into chylomicrons,
then transported through lymphatic system
 Storages are limited extent in the liver and kidneys
 When folate deficiency, the need of dietary choline increase because
choline becomes the primary methyl donor
Biosynthesis Pathways of Choline
1. CDP-Choline (in some tissues)

2. Methylation (in liver)

Roles of Choline
 Synthesis of phospholipid and sphingomyelin, the component of cell
membranes
 Important in intracellular cell signaling
 Sphingomyelin is important in nerve conduction
 Required in the secretion of VLDL from liver as lipotropic factor
 Important in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
 The oxidized form (glycine betaine) serves as methyl donor in the
methionine cycle
 Uptake and
Utilization by
the Tissues
Synthesis of acetylcholine
 Free choline can crosses the blood-brain barrier through specific choline
transporter → uptake by cerebral cells
 Then, converted into acetylcholine:
Methyl Donor
VLDL Secretion Regulation
Deficiency of Choline
 Promote muscle damage because interfere de novo synthesis
 Development of fatty liver → cirrhosis
 Increase risk of inflammation
 Neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
 Increase risk of CVD and stroke (affect homocysteine levels in the blood)
Toxicity of Choline
 Excessive sweating and salivation
 Vomiting
 Fishy odor, when consumed 8 to 20 g/day
 Hypotension, when consumed 7,5 g/day
 Liver toxicity
CARNITINE
 Nitrogen-containing compound, made from methylation of
lysine
 Carnitine biosynthesis occurs in the liver and kidneys
 Sources : abundant in meats especially beef and pork
 Grains not only low in carnitine, but also low in lysine and
methionine
 In foods, it can be free or bound to LCFA or SCFA esters as
acylcarnitine
 Active form is L-carnitine
 Carnitine is absorbed in proximal small intestine by sodium-dependent
active transport and passive diffusion
 Approximately 54 – 87% carnitine ingested is absorbed
 Muscle is the carnitine pool : 50x greater than plasma concentrations
(although biosynthesis does not occur here)
 Found in most body tissues to assist FA transport
 Homeostasis is maintained by the kidneys where > 90% of filtered
carnitine and acylcarnitine being reabsorbed
Carnitine
Synthesis
Roles of Carnitine
 Assist the transport of fatty acids (especially LCFA) to mitochondria and
making them ready for β-oxidation
 Carnitine is needed for production of energy from ketone
 Functions as a buffer in the free CoA pool in the form of acylcarnitines

Supplementation with carnitine does not, however, “burn fat” as

suggested in some advertisements
 Membrane
transport system
for transporting FA
Energy
Production
from Ketone
Deficiency of Carnitine
 Impaired energy metabolism with the primary signs are:
- Hypoglycemia
- Cardiomyopathy
- Muscle weakness

Breastmilk contains adequate amounts of carnitine, but in premature

infants necessitating use of carnitine-fortified infant formula
INOSITOL
 Inositol is a part of cell membrane structures
 Inositol is sugar in the body (sugar alcohol) 2 1 3 2
3 6 4 1
4
 It can be synthesis from glucose (D-glucose-6-Phosphate) 5 5 6

 Abundant in beans, grains, and nuts

 3 forms in food : free myo-inositol, phytic acid,
and phosphatidylinositol (PI)
 Caffeine can decrease the bioavailability inositol
and leads to deficiency condition
Biosynthesis of
Myo-inositol
Metabolism of Inositol
 Free myo-inositol is absorbed by the intestine by active transport
 Myo-inositol is circulates predominantly in the free form
 The free myo-inositol is uptake by the tissues and then within cells it is
converted to PI by PI synthetase
 The utilization of inositol by the body is in the form of PI

H3PO4

Phytic acid converted to myo-inositol

Roles of Inositol

 Main role is a part of the cell membranes

 As phospholipids in membranes, it plays a
key role in the cell replication
 Plays an important role in signal
transduction pathway
 Act as second messenger of hormone
function (insulin and chemical messengers
in the brain)
Cell Signaling
Pathway
Insulin Signaling
Pathway

The ability of insulin to

bind to the receptor
site depends on the
activation of PI3K and
the cascading
reactions that follow
Effects of inositol on metabolism

Chatree et al. 2020. Role of Inositol and Inositol Phosphates in Energy Metabolism. Molecules. 25. 5079.
  Phytic Acid (IP6) can be converted into inositol
pyrophosphate (5-IP7), but it has adverse effects

1) Chatree et al. 2020. Role of Inositol and Inositol Phosphates in Energy Metabolism. Molecules. 25. 5079.
2) Mukherjee et al. 2020. Targeting the Inositol Pyrophospate Biosynthetic Enzymes in Metabolic Diseases.
Molecules. 25. 1403.
Metabolic Function of Inositol
 Clinical trials shows that supplementation of myo-inositol can improve
survival and reduce retinopathy of prematurity, bronchial dysplasia, and
hemorrhage
 Supplementation can reduce insulin resistance and GDM in two cohorts
study in obese pregnant women
 Myo-inositol may have value in treatment of depression and other
psychiatric disorders
THANK YOU