Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jan 8:3:479.
doi: 10.1038/bonekey.2013.213.

History of the discovery of vitamin D and its active metabolites

Hector F Deluca  1
Affiliations
Review

History of the discovery of vitamin D and its active metabolites

Hector F Deluca. Bonekey Rep. .

Abstract

Before the twentieth century, it was not possible to describe the essentials of a diet that could support life, growth and reproduction of higher animals. The discovery of vitamin A by McCollum and Davis in 1913 ushered in the era of accessory food substances culminating in the achievement of that goal. It included the discovery of vitamin D and its production in skin caused by ultraviolet light. This was followed by a description of its actions at the physiological level that resulted in a healthy skeleton and beyond. To carry out these functions, vitamin D is converted to a hormone that acts through a nuclear receptor. The findings leading to this concept and their importance to biology and medicine are presented.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3 by 282–310 nm UV light and the temperature-dependent equilibrium between previtamin D3 and vitamin D3.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The functional metabolism of vitamin D3. A CYP2R1 enzyme in the liver converts vitamin D3 to 25-OH-D3, the circulating form of vitamin D3, and a CYP27B1 enzyme converts it to the 1,25-(OH)2D3 in the proximal convoluted tubule of the kidney to the final hormone, 1α,25-(OH)2D3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A diagrammatic representation of the vitamin D-based endocrine system. The calcium-sensing proteins in the parathyroid and ‘C' cells are shown as a thermometer. Slight hypocalcemia causes secretion of PTH that signals the CYP27B1 to synthesize 1,25-(OH)2D3 that directs calcium mobilization in the intestine, kidney and bone. A feedback suppression of PTH synthesis and secretion, and parathyroid proliferation by 1,25-(OH)2D3 is shown. Calcitonin is secreted by the ‘C' cells of the thyroid. It suppresses bone resorption.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Degradation of 1α,25-(OH)2D3. The CYP24A1 gene is induced by 1,25-(OH)2D3. The resulting enzyme carries out all the reactions shown to produce the biologically inactive excretion product, calcitroic acid. Presumably, a similar set of reactions takes place with 25-OH-D3 as the substrate. Clearly, 1,25-(OH)2D3 programs its own destruction through the CYP24A1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McCollum EV. A History of Nutrition The Riverside Press: Cambridge, MA, 1957; pp234–236.
    1. von Liebig J. Animal chemistry or organic chemistry in its application to physiology and pathology. In: Glass HB (ed).A History of Nutrition. Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press1957;.
    1. Lunin N. Über die bedeutung der anorganischen salze für die ernährung des tieres. Z Physiol Chem 1881;5:31–39.
    1. Magendie F. Ann. Chim. Phys. 1816; 3: 86–87. In: Glass HB (ed).A History of Nutrition by McCollum EV The Riverside Press: Cambridge, MA, 1957;.
    1. Hopkins G. Feeding experiments illustrating the importance of accessory food factors in normal dietaries. J Physiol 1912;44:425–460. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources