cyanocobalamin

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:46:27 +0000

Manufactured version of vitamin B12.

It is used to treat and prevent vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia, by mouth, intramuscular injection, or as a nasal spray.
The treatment includes food or supplements to get vitamin B12.
It is less preferred than hydroxocobalamin.
It has an antihypotensive effect.

Erythrocytes require vitamin B12 to be made.
Erythroblasts require folate and vitamin B12 for proliferation during their differentiation. Deficiency of folate or vitamin B12 inhibits purine and thymidylate syntheses, impairs DNA synthesis, and causes erythroblast apoptosis, resulting in anemia from ineffective erythropoiesis.

There are conditions and treatments that can stop absorbing enough vitamin B12 from the food.
Pernicious anemia is a type of vitamin B12 anemia. Intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein produced by the parietal cells (oxyntic cells) located at the body and fundus of the stomach. Intrinsic factor binds to transport and helps absorption of the vitamin B12 by the terminal ileum.
(Causes of pernicious anemia)
• low stomach acid due to atrophic gastritis or certain medicines
• stomach (gastric) surgery
• inflammation in the intestines because of conditions like Crohn's disease and coeliac disease
• infection in the stomach or intestine
• autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the intrinsic factor or the parietal cells of the stomach.
• congenital pernicious anemia: Intrinsic factor is not made enough. Rare.

(Foods containing vitamin B12)
• meat, poultry
• shellfish
• eggs
• dairy products