Biotin

Vitamin H is water-soluble and belongs to the group of essential B vitamins.

Chemical Formula: C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S₁

Other names: Vitamin H

Layman's explanation: Vitamin H, or biotin, was discovered by Vincent du Vigneaud and his colleagues in 1942. They noticed that when farm animals were fed raw eggs, they developed a biotin deficiency. Avidin, a protein in raw eggs, binds to biotin and inhibits its enzymatic activity. Biotin binds to the active site of pyruvate carboxylase, which promotes the formation of glucose. Sources of biotin include cooked eggs, liver, wheat bran, and yeast. Deficiencies arise from consuming too many raw eggs, which contain avidin.

Keywords: biotin, avidin

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