11.05.2013 Views

B12 METABOLISM IN HUMANS By NICOLE AURORA LEAL A ...

B12 METABOLISM IN HUMANS By NICOLE AURORA LEAL A ...

B12 METABOLISM IN HUMANS By NICOLE AURORA LEAL A ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

CHAPTER 1<br />

<strong>IN</strong>TRODUCTION<br />

History of Cobalamin<br />

In 1925, Whipple and colleagues discovered that a diet of liver aided in the<br />

formation of blood cells in iron-deficient dogs. The next year, Minot and Murphy (Minot<br />

and Murphy 1926) were the first to document that patients with severe pernicious anemia<br />

(a disease that affects the formation of red blood cells) were successfully treated with a<br />

special diet consisting mainly of liver. Eight years later (in 1934) Whipple, Minot, and<br />

Murphy were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for their work on<br />

liver therapy against anemias.<br />

Following these studies, Castle (Kass 1978) concluded that the treatment of<br />

pernicious anemia by this specialized diet was dependent on the absorption of an<br />

extrinsic anti-pernicious anemia factor by an intrinsic protein in gastric juice. It is now<br />

known that Castle’s extrinsic anti-pernicious anemia factor is vitamin <strong>B12</strong> and the<br />

intrinsic factor is a specific cobalamin transporter (synthesized by the stomach) that was<br />

shown to enhance the curing effect by vitamin <strong>B12</strong> (Kass 1978). In 1948, two research<br />

groups led by Folkers and Smith independently isolated the red crystalline anti-pernicious<br />

anemia factor from bovine liver, and proposed the name vitamin <strong>B12</strong> (Rickes et al. 1948,<br />

Smith and Parker 1948). The isolation of vitamin <strong>B12</strong> inspired collaborative efforts<br />

between two laboratories (led by Alexander Todd and Dorothy Hodgkin) to elucidate its<br />

chemical structure. After 6 years, the crystal structure was resolved and finalized in the<br />

1

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!