Pyridoxine Hydrochloride Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is an essential vitamin to aid in the formation of healthy red blood cells and supports more vital bodily functions than any other vitamin. A water-soluble vitamin, Vitamin B6 is needed to release energy from the food we eat. Since it cannot be stored in the body, it must be obtained daily from either food or supplements.

So how do you get Vitamin B6? You can find it in natural food sources such as potatoes, bread, meat, fish, eggs, beans, bananas, nuts, and seed like sunflower seeds. Pyridoxine hydrochloride is a colorless or white crystal or a white crystalline powder. It is stable in air and is slowly affected by sunlight. The chemical name is 2-methly-3-hydroxy-4,5-bis (hydroxymethyl) pyridine hydrochloride. Its empirical formula is C8H11NO3.

Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is a coenzyme for enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism. Deamination, transamination, and decarboxylation of amino acids are required for synthesis, oxidation, and degradation of critical amino acid derived molecules that participate in hematological, neurological, humoral, and inflammatory processes. As a result, activities sensitive to pyridoxine status include neurotransmitter function, heme synthesis, conversion of tryptophan to niacin, immunoglobulin synthesis, and hormone production.

Vitamin B6's role as a coenzyme involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins is what makes it important for dieters. Vitamin B6 is also responsible for the manufacture of hormones, red blood cells, neurotransmitters, enzymes, and prostaglandins. Vitamin B6 is required for the production of seratonin, a brain neurotransmitter that controls mood, appetite, sleep patterns, and sensitivity to pain. A vitamin B6 deficiency can eventually lead to insomnia and malfunctioning of the central nervous system.

Pyridoxine is required for the balancing of hormonal changes in women as well as assisting the immune system and the growth of new cells. It is also used in the processing and metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, while assisting with controlling your mood as well as your behavior. Pyridoxine might also be of benefit for children with learning difficulties, as well as assisting in the prevention of dandruff, eczema and psoriasis. Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia that is similar to iron deficiency anemia. Calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals are all important to your immune system because they promote the growth of white blood cells that directly fight infections. Because of its involvement in protein metabolism and cellular growth Vitamin B6 is important to the immune system. It helps maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes) that make your white blood cells. Animal studies show that a vitamin B6 deficiency can decrease your antibody production and suppress your immune response. Vitamin B6 also helps maintain your blood glucose (sugar) within a normal range. When caloric intake is low your body needs vitamin B6 to help convert stored carbohydrate or other nutrients to glucose to maintain normal blood sugar levels. While a shortage of vitamin B6 will limit these functions, supplements of this vitamin do not enhance them in well-nourished individuals.

It assists in the balancing of sodium and potassium as well promotes red blood cell production. It is further involved in the nucleic acids RNA as well as DNA. It is further linked to cancer immunity and fights the formation of the toxic chemical homocysteine, which is detrimental to the heart muscle.

Women in particular may suffer from pre-menstrual fluid retention, severe period pains, emotional PMS symptoms, premenstrual acne and nausea in early pregnancy. Mood swings, depression as well as loss of sexual drive is sometimes noted when pyridoxine is in short supply and the person is on hormone replacement therapy or on birth control pills.

Synonyms: vitamin B6 hydrochloride
Molecular formula: C8H11NO3 HCl
CAS No: 58-56-0

Continue reading here: Proteins ~ Sugars ~ Nucleotides

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