Pharmaceutical Aids and Necessities: Essential and Non-Essential Trace Elements PDF

Pharmaceutical Aids and Necessities: Essential and Non-essential Trace Elements Georchelle Faith Darcey, RPh BSPh 103: Inorganic Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Topic 7) The living bodies contain at least 30 elements which are divided into: Essential trace elem...

Pharmaceutical Aids and Necessities: Essential and Non-essential Trace Elements Georchelle Faith Darcey, RPh BSPh 103: Inorganic Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Topic 7) The living bodies contain at least 30 elements which are divided into: Essential trace elements - required to maintain the normal living state of a tissue or whole of the body; not produced by the body as in amino acids; can function as cofactors in certain biochemical processes in the body a. Micro - required in very small amount say to the extent of micrograms or nanograms in the body. Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, Mn, I, and F b. Macro - required to be present in the diet to the extent of more than one milligram C, H, O, N, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, S, and Cl Non–essential trace elements - functions are not clearly known and hence they are called non-essential elements. Some of them are toxic in nature. B, Si, As, Ni, Al, Pb, V, Sn, Bo ZINC (Zn2+) Zinc is widely distributed in vegetables and animal food. Human body requires 0.3 mg/Kg/day. Zinc is integral part of several biochemically important enzymes such as DNA polymerase, uricase, carbonic anhydrase, liver alcohol dehydrogenase, carboxypeptidase, kidney phosphatase, etc. Insulin contains zinc and during diabetes, the total zinc will be reduced to half in pancreas. Zinc regulates the body’s growth, immune system, collagen synthesis, wound healing, bone metabolism, reproduction, taste, smell, & vision. COBALT (Co2+) Cobalt is the essential content of vitamin B12. The chemical name of this vitamin is cyanocobalamin. Cobalt is required to maintain normal function of bone marrow in producing erythrocytes. Deficiency of cobalt leads to limited supply of vitamin B12 which leads to nutritional type of anaemia. Excess of cobalt produces more of erythrocytes and this causes polycythemia. COPPER (Cu2+) Copper ions present in water form complexes readily at a pH range of 6.5 to 10. Copper is an integral part of certain enzymes it is essential in their activity, such as cytochromes, cytochrome oxidase, catalase, uricase, etc. These enzymes contain as much as 550 µg copper per gram of the enzymes protein. Copper is also postulated to help in the bone formation and maintenance of the myelin sheath in the nerve fibres. CHLORIDE (Cl-) The harmless amount of chloride in water is around 250 - 300 ppm. The most important source of chlorine, together with sodium, is in the diet as common salt. ○ Congestive heart disease, hypertensive high blood pressure, kidney disease, sodium chloride-restricted diet is suggested. Healthy individual is rarely subjected to chlorine deficiency. Diarrhea, vomiting, extreme perspiration cause deficiency of chlorine and sodium. SODIUM (Na+1), POTASSIUM (K+1) Maintenance of normal hydration and osmotic pressure. Maintenance of normal acid - base equilibrium: Transport of carbon dioxide ○ Sodium and potassium ions, along with chloride ions, play an important role in the transportation of gaseous CO2. Neuromuscular irritability and excitability. Sources potassium: coffee, tea, potatoes, dried beans, green and leafy vegetables, milk, bananas, juice of oranges, pine apples, beef, fish IRON (Fe2+) Biologically, it is the most important transition element as it is involved in several different processes ○ oxygen carrier in the blood of mammals, birds, and fish ○ oxygen storage in muscle tissue ○ electron transfer in plants and bacteria (cytochromes) and for electron transfer in bacteria (ferredoxins) The human body contains 4 grams of iron. ○ Iron is absorbed in ferrous form (Fe2+), which is measurable in blood as free iron ○ about 70% is found in hemoglobin, the red pigment in the erythrocytes (RBCs) Dietary source of iron: Leafy greens, whole grains, beans , pulses, liver, spleen, mollusks MAGNESIUM (Mg2+) Mg plays a crucial role in the biochemical reactions occurring in our body. ○ Magnesium acts as an enzyme cofactor that plays an important role in the breaking of glucose and fat molecules, in the production of enzymes, proteins and regulation of cholesterol. Protector of human DNA CALCIUM (Ca2+) Calcium is mainly found in the bones and teeth of the living beings. Calcium helps in blood clotting. Deficiency of calcium increases the blood clotting time. Calcium supports muscle contraction. Calcium plays a significant role in the metabolism of nitrogen in plants. Absence of this mineral in the plants affects the size and number of chloroplasts. Thank you for listening!