Previtamin D3 is an intermediate in the production of vitamin D3. The skin has been recognized as the site for the sun-mediated photosynthesis of vitamin D3; until recently, however, very little was known about either the sequence of events leading to the formation of vitamin D3 in human skin or the factors that regulate the synthesis of this hormone. During exposure to sunlight, the cutaneous reservoir of 7-dehydrocholesterol converts to previtamin D3. The plasma vitamin-D binding protein preferentially translocates vitamin D3 from the skin into the circulation. During prolonged exposure to the sun, the accumulation of previtamin D3 is limited to about 10 to 15% of the original 7-dehydrocholesterol content because the previtamin photoisomerizes to 2 biologically inert photoproducts, lumisterol3 and tachysterol3. Increases in either latitude or the melanin concentration in the skin diminish the epidermal synthesis of previtamin D3.
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