Q&A

What is the role of thiamine in metabolism?

What is the role of thiamine in metabolism?

Thiamin(e), also known as vitamin B1, is now known to play a fundamental role in energy metabolism. Thiamine plays a vital role in metabolism of glucose. Thus, emphasis is placed on the fact that ingestion of excessive simple carbohydrates automatically increases the need for this vitamin.

What does thiamine do in the citric acid cycle?

Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) leads to memory deficits and neurological disease in animals and humans. The thiamine-dependent enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle are reduced following TD and in the brains of patients that died from multiple neurodegenerative diseases.

What is the mechanism of action of thiamine?

Mechanism of Action: Thiamine combines with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the liver, kidneys, and leukocytes to produce thiamine diphosphate. Thiamine diphosphate acts as a coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism, in transketolation reactions, and in the utilization of hexose in the hexose-monophosphate shunt.

How does thiamine deficiency affect metabolism?

If sufficiently prolonged and severe, thiamine deficiency results in brain cell death. Possible mechanisms involved include compromised cerebral energy metabolism and focal accumulation of lactate, both of which could result from decreased activities of alpha KGDH.

Why is thiamine important for the brain?

Thiamin plays a key role in the maintenance of brain function. Thiamin diphosphate is cofactor for several enzymes involved in glucose metabolism whereas thiamin triphosphate has distinct properties at the neuronal membrane. Thiamin metabolism in the brain is compartmented between neurons and neighbouring glial cells.

Is thiamine acidic or basic?

Thiamine is soluble in water, methanol, and glycerol and practically insoluble in less polar organic solvents. It is stable at acidic pH, but is unstable in alkaline solutions.

What is the function of thiamine pyrophosphate?

Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), the active form of thiamine, functions as a coenzyme for a number of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, thus making metabolites from this metabolism and keto analogues from amino and fatty acid metabolism available for the production of energy.

What enzyme is thiamine dependent?

Pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes as well as transketolase are the examples of thiamine-dependent enzymes present in eukaryotes, including human.

Is thiamine good for the brain?

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is an essential nutrient required by all tissues, including the brain.

How much thiamine is stored in the brain?

Human storage of thiamine is about 25 to 30 mg, with the greatest concentrations in skeletal muscle, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys.

Why does thiamine deficiency affect the brain?

Thiamine deficiency might cause brain tissue injury by inhibiting brain energy utilization given the critical role of thiamine-dependent enzymes associated within glucose utilization (27).

What is the role of thiamine in carbohydrate metabolism?

Overview. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential to the health of all living organisms. In its diphosphate form (also known as TDP, thiamine pyrophosphate, TPP, or cocarboxylase), it serves as a cofactor for enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, including transketolase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase,…

How does thiamine play a role in mitochondrial localization?

Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential nutrient that serves as a cofactor for a number of enzymes, mostly with mitochondrial localization. Some thiamine-dependent enzymes are involved in energy metabolism and biosynthesis of nucleic acids whereas others are part of the antioxidant machinery.

Why is the brain vulnerable to thiamine deficiency?

Some thiamine-dependent enzymes are involved in energy metabolism and biosynthesis of nucleic acids whereas others are part of the antioxidant machinery. The brain is highly vulnerable to thiamine deficiency due to its heavy reliance on mitochondrial ATP production.

What are the enzymes that use thiamine as a cofactor?

Figure 4. Reactions of enzymes utilizing TPP as a cofactor, including pyruvate decarboxylase, benzoylformate decarboxylase, and indolepyruvate decarboxylase. Aside from enzymes that utilize TPP as a cofactor to oxidize their substrates, transketolase enzymes which catalyze the transfer of a 2-carbon glycoaldehyde fragment also use TPP ( Figure 5 ).