Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Drisdol, Calcidol, others |
Other names | vitamin D2 |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a616042 |
License data | |
Routes of administration | By mouth, intramuscular |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
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Identifiers | |
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CAS Number | |
PubChem CID | |
DrugBank | |
ChemSpider | |
UNII | |
KEGG | |
ChEBI | |
ChEMBL | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.014 |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C28H44O |
Molar mass | 396.659 g·mol−1 |
3D model (JSmol) | |
Melting point | 114 to 118 °C (237 to 244 °F) |
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Ergocalciferol, also known as vitamin D2 and nonspecifically calciferol, is a type of vitamin D found in food. It is used as a dietary supplement [3] to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency [4] due to poor absorption by the intestines or liver disease. [5] It may also be used for low blood calcium due to hypoparathyroidism. [5] It is taken by mouth or via injection into a muscle. [4] [5]
Excessive doses can result in vitamin D toxicity causing increased urine production, high blood pressure, kidney stones, kidney failure, muscle weakness, and constipation. [6] If high doses are taken for a long period of time, tissue calcification may occur. [5] Normal doses are safe in pregnancy. [7] It works by increasing the amount of calcium absorbed by the intestines and reabsorbed by the kidneys. [6] Food in which it is found include some mushrooms. [8]
Ergocalciferol was first described in 1936. [9] Ergocalciferol is available as a generic medication and over the counter. [6] In 2022, it was the 38th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 15 million prescriptions. [10] [11] Certain foods such as breakfast cereal and margarine have ergocalciferol added to them in some countries. [12] [13] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [14]
Ergocalciferol may be used as a vitamin D supplement, whereas cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is produced naturally by the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light. [15] Ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3) are considered to be equivalent for vitamin D production, as both forms appear to have similar efficacy in ameliorating rickets [16] and reducing the incidence of falls in elderly patients. [17] Conflicting reports exist, however, concerning the relative effectiveness, with some studies suggesting that ergocalciferol has less efficacy based on limitations in absorption, binding, and inactivation. [18] A meta-analysis concluded that evidence usually favors cholecalciferol in raising vitamin D levels in blood, although it stated more research is needed. [18]
Ergocalciferol is a secosteroid formed by a photochemical bond breaking of a steroid, specifically, by the action of ultraviolet light (UV-B or UV-C) on ergosterol, a form of provitamin D2. [19]
Like cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol is inactive by itself. It requires two hydroxylations to become active: the first in the liver by CYP2R1 to form 25-hydroxyergocalciferol (ercalcidiol or 25-OH D2 [20] ), and the second in the kidney by CYP27B1, to form the active 1,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol (ercalcitriol or 1,25-(OH)2D2), which activates the vitamin D receptor. [21] Unlike cholecalciferol, 25-hydroxylation is not performed by CYP27A1 for ergocalciferol. [22]
Ergocalciferol and metabolites have lower affinity to the vitamin D-binding protein compared to the D3 counterparts. The binding affinity of ercalcitriol to the vitamin D receptor is similar to that of calcitriol. [22] Ergocalciferol itself and metabolites can be deactivated by 24-hydroxylation. [23]
Fungus, from USDA nutrient database (per 100g), D2 + D3: [24] [25]
Lichen
Plantae
The vitamin D2 content in mushrooms and C. arbuscula increase with exposure to ultraviolet light. [26] [28] Ergosterol (provitamin D2) found in these fungi is converted to previtamin D2 on UV exposure, which then turns into vitamin D2. As cultured mushrooms are generally grown in darkness, less vitamin D2 is found compared to those grown in the wild or dried in the sun. [19]
When fresh mushrooms or dried powders are purposely exposed to ultraviolet light, vitamin D2 levels can be concentrated to much higher levels. [29] [30] [31] The irradiation procedure does not cause significant discoloration, or whitening, of mushrooms. [32] Claims have been made that a normal serving (approx. 2 oz or 60 grams) of fresh mushrooms treated with ultraviolet light have increased vitamin D content to levels up to 80 micrograms or 3200 IU if exposed to just five minutes of UV light after being harvested. [30]
Button mushrooms with enhanced vitamin D2 content produced this way functions similarly to a vitamin D2 supplement; both effectively improves vitamin D status. [29] [33] Vitamin D2 from UV-irradiated yeast baked into bread or mushrooms is bioavailable and increases blood levels of 25(OH)D. [29]
Viosterol, the name given to early preparations of irradiated ergosterol, is essentially synonymous with ergocalciferol. [34] [35] However, currently, Viosterol is also the brand name for cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in some countries. [36] [37]
Ergocalciferol is manufactured and sold under various brand names, including Deltalin (Eli Lilly and Company), Drisdol (Sanofi-Synthelabo), and Calcidol (Patrin Pharma).[ citation needed ]
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Toadstool generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
Rickets, scientific nomenclature: rachitis, is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications may include bone deformities, bone pseudofractures and fractures, muscle spasms, or an abnormally curved spine. The analogous condition in adults is osteomalacia.
7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) is a zoosterol that functions in the serum as a cholesterol precursor, and is photochemically converted to vitamin D3 in the skin, therefore functioning as provitamin-D3. The presence of this compound in human skin enables humans to manufacture vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Upon exposure to ultraviolet UV-B rays in the sun light, 7-DHC is converted into vitamin D3 via previtamin D3 as an intermediate isomer. It is also found in the milk of several mammalian species. Lanolin, a waxy substance that is naturally secreted by wool-bearing mammals, contains 7-DHC which is converted into vitamin D by sunlight and then ingested during grooming as a nutrient. In insects 7-dehydrocholesterol is a precursor for the hormone ecdysone, required for reaching adulthood. 7-DHC was discovered by Nobel-laureate organic chemist Adolf Windaus.
The shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of numerous species of macrofungi. Edibility may be defined by criteria including the absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma. Mushrooms that have a particularly desirable taste are described as "choice". Edible mushrooms are consumed for their nutritional and culinary value. Mushrooms, especially dried shiitake, are sources of umami flavor.
Agaricus bisporus, commonly known as the cultivated mushroom, is a basidiomycete mushroom native to grasslands in Eurasia and North America. It is cultivated in more than 70 countries and is one of the most commonly and widely consumed mushrooms in the world. It has two color states while immature – white and brown – both of which have various names, with additional names for the mature state, such as chestnut, portobello, portabellini, button and champignon de Paris.
Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D3 or colecalciferol, is a type of vitamin D that is produced by the skin when exposed to UVB light; it is found in certain foods and can be taken as a dietary supplement.
Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus was a German chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1928 for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was the doctoral advisor of Adolf Butenandt who also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939.
Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol) is a mycosterol found in cell membranes of fungi and protozoa, serving many of the same functions that cholesterol serves in animal cells. Because many fungi and protozoa cannot survive without ergosterol, the enzymes that synthesize it have become important targets for drug discovery. In human nutrition, ergosterol is a provitamin form of vitamin D2; exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light causes a chemical reaction that produces vitamin D2.
In pharmacology, the international unit (IU) is a unit of measurement for the effect or biological activity of a substance, for the purpose of easier comparison across similar forms of substances. International units are used to quantify vitamins and biologics.
Rodenticides are chemicals made and sold for the purpose of killing rodents. While commonly referred to as "rat poison", rodenticides are also used to kill mice, woodchucks, chipmunks, porcupines, nutria, beavers, and voles. Despite the crucial roles that rodents play in nature, there are times when they need to be controlled.
A provitamin is a substance that may be converted within the body to a vitamin. The term previtamin is a synonym.
Dihydrotachysterol (DHT) is a synthetic vitamin D analog activated in the liver that does not require renal hydroxylation like vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). DHT has a rapid onset of action (2 hours), a shorter half-life, and a greater effect on mineralization of bone salts than does vitamin D.
Vitamin D toxicity, or hypervitaminosis D, is the toxic state of an excess of vitamin D. The normal range for blood concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in adults is 20 to 50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Blood levels necessary to cause adverse effects in adults are thought to be greater than about 150 ng/mL, leading the Endocrine Society to suggest an upper limit for safety of 100 ng/mL.
Calcifediol, also known as calcidiol, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (abbreviated 25(OH)D3), is a form of vitamin D produced in the liver by hydroxylation of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) by the enzyme vitamin D 25-hydroxylase. Calcifediol can be further hydroxylated by the enzyme 25(OH)D-1α-hydroxylase, primarily in the kidney, to form calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3), which is the active hormonal form of vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency or hypovitaminosis D is a vitamin D level that is below normal. It most commonly occurs in people when they have inadequate exposure to sunlight, particularly sunlight with adequate ultraviolet B rays (UVB). Vitamin D deficiency can also be caused by inadequate nutritional intake of vitamin D; disorders that limit vitamin D absorption; and disorders that impair the conversion of vitamin D to active metabolites, including certain liver, kidney, and hereditary disorders. Deficiency impairs bone mineralization, leading to bone-softening diseases, such as rickets in children. It can also worsen osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults, increasing the risk of bone fractures. Muscle weakness is also a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency, further increasing the risk of fall and bone fractures in adults. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the development of schizophrenia.
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, along with numerous other biological functions. In humans, the most significant compounds within this group are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).
Exposure of skin to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight presents both positive and negative health effects. On the positive side, UV exposure enables the synthesis of vitamin D3, which is essential for bone health and potentially plays a role in inhibiting certain cancers. While vitamin D can also be obtained through dietary supplements, UV exposure offers benefits such as enhanced subdermal nitric oxide production and improved endorphin levels, which are not achievable through supplementation alone. Additionally, exposure to visible light supports melatonin synthesis, maintains circadian rhythms, and reduces the risk of seasonal affective disorder.
Vegan nutrition refers to the nutritional and human health aspects of vegan diets. A well-planned vegan diet is suitable to meet all recommendations for nutrients in every stage of human life. Vegan diets tend to be higher in dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, and phytochemicals; and lower in calories, saturated fat, iron, cholesterol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.
As in the human practice of veganism, vegan dog foods are those formulated with the exclusion of ingredients that contain or were processed with any part of an animal, or any animal byproduct. Vegan dog food may incorporate the use of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes including soya, nuts, vegetable oils, as well as any other non-animal based foods.
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