Vitamins
Which vitamin deficiency leads to the disease Scurvy, and what is the biochemical basis of this condition?
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- biomolecules
- Topic
- vitamins
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Vitamin C; defective collagen synthesis due to failure of proline and lysine hydroxylation
Scurvy is caused by deficiency of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Ascorbic acid is an essential cofactor for the enzyme prolyl hydroxylase (and lysyl hydroxylase) that hydroxylates proline and lysine residues in procollagen. These hydroxylated residues are critical for cross-linking collagen triple-helix strands, providing tensile strength. Without Vitamin C, collagen is structurally defective, leading to bleeding gums, poor wound healing, petechiae, and weakened blood vessels — the hallmarks of scurvy.
This hard difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter biomolecules, covering the topic of vitamins. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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