Cholecalciferol is an important chemical for both researchers and consumers. It has a number of uses as Vitamin D3 in the production and creation of health supplements, as well as bone regrowth research and rodent pesticides. But before deciding to take a daily Vitamin D3 supplement or doing research on cholecalciferol, familiarize yourself with the specifics of this compound.
Cholecalciferol details
Cholecalciferol is naturally created in animal tissue. Ultraviolet-B radiation from sunlight begins the production of cholecalciferol by stimulating epidermal 7-dehydrocholesterol. Oregon State University explained that cholecalciferol is more similar to a hormone than a vitamin, which is usually required in a diet because it cannot be synthesized elsewhere in the body. It is structurally similar to steroids like testosterone, cortisol and cholesterol, despite being a secosteroid.
Written chemically as C27H44O or (3S,5Z,7E)-9,10-Secocholesta-5,7,10-trien-3-ol, cholecalciferol is also known as calciol or Vitamin D3. When not being created by mammals, cholecalciferol is a solid resin that can be mixed in a number of ways. As a vitamin, it is often in a gel capsule form, being soluble in water, vegetable oils and organic solvents. Cholecalciferol has a molecular weight of 384.62 and a melting point between 84 and 85 degrees C.
Uses of cholecalciferol
In 1984, cholecalciferol was registered for use as a rodenticide. Cholecalciferol was a major ingredient in these pesticides made by the Dutch manufacturer Phillips-Dunphar and Wisconsin-based Bell Laboratories, the Environmental Protection Agency explained in a report. This chemical compound has been used primarily against Norway rats, roof rats, and house mice. When approved for this use, its toxicology on humans or the environment had not been heavily researched.
Cholecalciferol is most commonly used by consumers and medical researchers for bone and overall health.
Regular consumers take Vitamin D3 as a supplement to help increase calcium absorption and function within the body. People who take this vitamin are often combating a Vitamin D deficiency and its negative health effects, particularly on the skin and bones.
Doctors and medical researchers may use or prescribe the use of Vitamin D for osteomalacia, which is caused by underminalized bones. People may feel tender in their bones and often have weak muscles as well. Rickets and other calcium- and bone-related conditions may also benefit from Vitamin D, but health care professionals are unaware of the consequences of Vitamin D3 on the brain, heart and other organs. The U.S. National Library of Medicine explained that the use of cholecalciferol is not expected to affect any of these major organs, but a Vitamin D deficiency may have consequences on them.
"There currently is little evidence that vitamin D deficiency results in major disorders in these organs and cellular systems. The possibility that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with an increased risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancer has been suggested by epidemiologic evidence from individuals living in higher latitudes, but current evidence is too limited to indicate categorically a cancer risk associated with deficiency," the government body explained.
There are numerous possibilities for cholecalciferol in bone regeneration research and therapeutic medicine for Vitamin D deficiency conditions.
Risks of cholecalciferol
Although cholecalciferol has a number of benefits for humans, it is also a rat poison and can have toxic effects on humans. This underscores the importance of using standards testing while working with cholecalciferol in a lab or research capacity.
People with allergies to Vitamin D, high levels of calcium or mineral absorption should stay away from cholecalciferol. Those with heart or kidney disease may not do well either. You can overdose on this supplement and the side effects may be life threatening. Overdose symptoms include vomiting, headache, metallic taste, skin irritation, bone pain and cloudy headedness.
Cholecalciferol is the rare mix of a vitamin that acts more like a steroid, a healthy supplement as well as a rat poison and something that can both cause and heal bone pain. This makes precision and accuracy of chemical purity critical when working with cholecalciferol.
