Synonyms
Hexahydro-2-oxo-1H-thieno [3,4-d] imidazol-4-valeric acid
Definition
Biotin can be synthesized by the human colon flora. The question to which extent this production contributes to covering the host-organism’s requirements is, however, subject to discussion. In most foods of animal origin as well as in cereals, biotin prevails in the protein (= enzyme)-bound form as ε-N-biotinyl-l-lysine (= biocytin). Brewer’s yeast, liver, soya beans, and peanuts number among the biotin rich foods [1].
The chemical structure of biotin (hexahydro-2-oxo-1H-thieno [3,4-d] imidazol-4-valeric acid) is shown in Fig. 1. Of the eight stereoisomers, only d-(+)-biotin occurs naturally and is biologically active.
Structure of biotin.
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Biesalski HK, Grimm P (2000) Pocket Atlas of Nutrition. Thieme, New York
Rucker RB, Suttie JW, McCormick DB et al (2001)Handbook of vitamins, 3rd edn (revised and expanded). Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, Basel
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
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Back, E., Biesalski, H.K. (2008). Biotin. In: Offermanns, S., Rosenthal, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-38918-7_273
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-38918-7_273
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-38916-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-38918-7
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