Can vitamin b12 reduce inflammation?

We all know that normal life activities of the human body cannot be separated from vitamins, and there are many types of vitamins. The vitamins we often come into contact with are vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin B12 is also very important to the human body. It is the only vitamin containing metal. Some people will apply some vitamin B12 water when they have wounds on their skin. So can vitamin B12 reduce inflammation?

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is the only vitamin that contains metal elements. Vitamin B12 in nature is synthesized by microorganisms. Vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that requires the help of an intestinal secretion (intrinsic factor) for its absorption. Some people lack this endogenous factor due to gastrointestinal abnormalities and may suffer from pernicious anemia even if they have adequate sources in their diet. Vitamin B12 is essentially non-existent in plant foods. It spends a long time in the intestines, taking about three hours (most water-soluble vitamins take only seconds) to be absorbed. The main physiological function of vitamin B12 is to participate in the production of bone marrow red blood cells, prevent pernicious anemia, and prevent damage to brain nerves. Vitamin B12 is the latest of the B vitamins to be discovered. Vitamin B12 is a polycyclic compound containing trivalent cobalt. Four reduced pyrrole rings are linked together to form a corrin macrocycle (similar to porphyrin), which is the core of the vitamin B12 molecule. Therefore, compounds containing this ring are called corrinoids. Vitamin B12 is light red needle-shaped crystals, easily soluble in water and ethanol, and most stable under weak acid conditions of pH 4.5-5.0. It decomposes in strong acid (pH <2) or alkaline solutions. It may be destroyed to a certain extent when exposed to heat, but the loss is small in short-term high-temperature sterilization. It is easily destroyed by strong light or ultraviolet rays. The loss during normal cooking process is about 30%.

Glutamate and methylglutamate are two coenzyme forms of B12. The cobalt ion is connected to the N-3 of 5,6-2-methylphenylimidazole above the plane of the cobalt ring and to the C5' of 5'-deoxyadenosine below the plane. The B12 commonly used has CN connected to the cobalt ion, called cyanocobalamin, which is a green crystal.

Physiological effects

effect

B12 is known to be a coenzyme of several mutases, such as methylaspartate mutase, which catalyzes the conversion of Glu to methylAsp, and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, which catalyzes the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. B12 coenzyme also participates in the transfer reactions of methyl and other one-carbon units.

B12 is mainly found in meat, and soybeans and some herbs in plants also contain B12. Intestinal bacteria can synthesize it, so it is generally not deficient. However, B12 is a vitamin that is easily deficient in people with gastrointestinal diseases. It is also an important element indispensable for the production of red blood cells. If it is severely deficient, it will lead to pernicious anemia!

Vitamin B12 is widely found in animal foods. And its form cannot be absorbed by the human body. In addition, vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that contains essential minerals. It is red in color because it contains cobalt, and is also called red vitamin. It is one of the few colored vitamins. Although vitamin B12 belongs to the B vitamins, it can be stored in the liver. After the stored amount is exhausted, it will take more than half a year for deficiency symptoms to appear. The human body requires very small amounts of vitamin B12 and as long as the diet is normal, there will be no deficiency. A small number of people with malabsorption should pay special attention.