Dewick P.M. Medicinal natural products VCH-Wiley, Weinheim, 2002 / booktext@id88013690placeboie

(Continued )

OOR

loss of

α-tocopherol peroxide leaving group

Figure 4.54

for medicinal purposes. The vitamin is known to provide valuable antioxidant properties, probably preventing the destruction by free radical reactions of vitamin A and unsaturated fatty acids in biological membranes. It is used commercially to retard rancidity in fatty materials in food manufacturing, and there are also claims that it can reduce the effects of ageing and help to prevent heart disease. Its antioxidant effect is likely to arise by reacting with peroxyl radicals, generating by one-electron phenolic oxidation a resonance-stabilized free radical that does not propagate the free radical reaction, but instead mops up further peroxyl radicals (Figure 4.54). In due course, the tocopheryl peroxide is hydrolysed to the tocopherolquinone.

Figure 4.56

Vitamin K

Vitamin K comprises a number of fat-soluble naphthoquinone derivatives, with vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) (Figure 4.50) being of plant origin whilst the vitamins K2 (menaquinones) are produced by microorganisms. Dietary vitamin K1 is obtained from almost any green vegetable, whilst a significant amount of vitamin K2 is produced by the intestinal microflora. As a result, vitamin K deficiency is rare. Deficiencies are usually the result of malabsorption of the vitamin, which is lipid soluble. Vitamin K1 (phytomenadione) or the water-soluble menadiol phosphate (Figure 4.57) may be employed as supplements. Menadiol is oxidized in the body to the quinone, which is then alkylated, e.g. with geranylgeranyl diphosphate, to yield a metabolically active product.

Vitamin K is involved in normal blood clotting processes, and a deficiency would lead to haemorrhage. Blood clotting requires the carboxylation of glutamate residues in the protein prothrombin, generating bidentate ligands that allow the protein to bind to other factors. This carboxylation requires carbon dioxide, molecular oxygen, and the reduced quinol form of vitamin K (Figure 4.57). During the carboxylation, the reduced vitamin K suffers epoxidation, and vitamin K is subsequently regenerated by reduction. Anticoagulants such as dicoumarol and warfarin (see page 144) inhibit this last reduction step. However, the polysaccharide anticoagulant heparin (see page 477) does not interfere with vitamin K metabolism, but acts by complexing with blood clotting enzymes.

Figure 4.57