7-Dehydrocholesterol

  7-Dehydrocholesterol is a zoosterol that functions in the serum as a cholesterol precursor, and is converted to pre-vitamin D₃ in the skin, therefore functioning as provitamin-D₃. The presence of this compound in human skin enables humans to manufacture vitamin D₃ from ultra-violet rays in the sun light, via an intermediate isomer pre-vitamin D₃. It is also found in the milk of several mammalian species.^[1] It was discovered by Nobel-laureate organic chemist Adolf Windaus.

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Location

The skin consists of two primary layers: the inner layer called the dermis, composed largely of connective tissue, and the outer thinner epidermis. The thickness of the epidermis ranges from 0.08mm to more than 0.6mm (0.003 to 0.024 inches).^[2] The epidermis consists of five strata; from outer to inner they are: the stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum basale. The highest concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol are found in the epidermal layer of skin, specifically in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum.^[3] The production of pre-vitamin D₃ is therefore greatest in these two layers, whereas production in the other layers is reduced.

Radiation

Synthesis of pre-vitamin D₃ in the skin involves UVB radiation which effectively penetrates only the epidermal layers of skin. 7-Dehydrocholesterol absorbs UV light most effectively at wavelengths between 270–290 nm and thus the production of vitamin D₃ will only occur at those wavelengths. The two most important factors that govern the generation of pre-vitamin D₃ are the quantity (intensity) and quality (appropriate wavelength) of the UVB irradiation reaching the 7-dehydrocholesterol deep in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum.^[3] Another important consideration is the quantity of 7-dehydrocholesterol present in the skin. Under normal circumstances, ample quantities of 7-dehydrocholesterol (about 25–50 mg/cm² of skin) are available in the stratum spinosum and stratum basale of human skin to meet the body's vitamin D requirements.

See also

• Vitamin D
• Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
• 7-Dehydrocholesterol reductase

References

1. ^ "7-dehydrocholesterol." The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 21 Jan. 2007. Answers.com.
2. ^ Frediric Martini et al. (2006). Human Anatomy. Pearson/Benjamin-Cummings Publishers, p. 89. ISBN:0-8053-7211-3.
3. ^ ^{a b} Norman, Anthony W. (1998) Sunlight, season, skin pigmentation, vitamin D, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D:integral components of the vitamin D endocrine system. Am J Clin Nutr;67:1108–10.