Cholecalciferol

cholecalciferol (KOH-leh-kal-SIH-feh-rol)A nutrient that the body needs in small amounts to function and stay healthy. Cholecalciferol helps the body use calcium and phosphorus to make strong bones and teeth. It is fat-soluble (can dissolve in fats and oils) and is found in fatty fish, egg yolks, and dairy products. Skin exposed to sunshine can also make cholecalciferol. Not enough cholecalciferol can cause a bone disease called rickets. It is being studied in the prevention and treatment of some types of cancer. Also called vitamin D.

Information about Cholecalciferol

Cholecalciferol

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin important in the regulation of calcium metabolism and bone health and deficiency of which cause rickets, a disease marked by lack of mineralization of bone.

Liver safety of Cholecalciferol

Conventional doses of vitamin D are well tolerated without appreciable adverse effects. High doses of vitamin D can be toxic, leading to a constellation of signs and symptoms but not liver injury or jaundice.

Mechanism of action of Cholecalciferol

Vitamin D is typically referred to as a fat soluble vitamin, but actually represents two related fat soluble substances cholecalciferol (koe" le kal sif' er ol: vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (er" goe kal sif’ er ol: vitamin D2), both of which can be used to cure or prevent rickets. These molecules are made from 7-dehydrocholesterol, referred to as pro-vitamin D, which is activated to vitamin D by ultraviolet light, generally in the dermis or epidermis. These sterols are then transported to the liver where they undergo 25-hydroxylation (to 25-OH vitamin D) and then to the kidney where they undergo a second hydroxylation to the fully active molecules: 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol (vitamin D3, calcitriol) and 1,25 dihydroxyergocalciferol (vitamin D2). Vitamin D is not a vitamin in the usual sense, in that humans synthesize adequate amounts given adequate exposure to sunlight. Furthermore, vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. It acts by binding to specific cytosolic receptors, not only in intestinal epithelial cells and in osteocytes, but also in multiple other tissues such as hematopoietic cells, hair follicles, adipose tissue, muscles and brain. After binding to its cytosolic receptors, vitamin D is translocated to the nucleus where the vitamin-receptor complex interacts with DNA and modulates gene expression to increase calcium absorption. The effect of vitamin D on bone is complex, in that it directly causes mobilization of calcium and bone resorption. The effect of vitamin D on bone mineralization is indirect, being mediated by the increase in calcium absorption from the intestine. While the major effects of vitamin D are on calcium absorption and bone resorption, it clearly has many other activities, the clinical implications of which are not all fully known.

Vitamin D is available in multiple forms, including tablets, capsules, oral solutions and syrups and solutions for injection; by prescription and over-the-counter; alone or in combination with calcium or in combination with other vitamins; as cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol and their hydroxylated forms as well as synthetic analogues.

FDA approval information for Cholecalciferol

Common commercial (and generic) names include Rocaltrol (calcitriol), One-Alpha (alfacalcidol), Calderol (calcifediol), Caltrate (cholecaliciferol), Hectorol (doxercalcifedol), Calcidol (ergocalciferol) and Zemplar (paricalcitol).

RDA intake of Cholecalciferol

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D has been recently modified and is 600 IU (~15 µg) in persons 1 to 70 years of age and 800 IU (~20 µg) daily for those 71 years and older. An adequate blood level of vitamin D (measured as 25-OH vitamin D) is considered 20 ng/mL [50 nmol/L] and above, a level that can be achieved by most people through daily skin exposure to light. Levels above 60 ng/mL (150 nmol/L) are considered excessive and referred to as “hypervitaminosis D”. Levels above 150 ng/mL (375 nmol/L) generally lead to symptoms and signs of toxicity which is referred to as “vitamin D intoxication”.

• Dailymed label info on Cholecalciferol
• FDA Cholecalciferol

Cholecalciferol Resources
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