 | |
 | |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˌkoʊləkælˈsɪfərɒl/ |
| Other names | vitamin D3, activated 7-dehydrocholesterol |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Professional Drug Facts |
| License data | |
| Routes of administration | By mouth, intramuscular injection |
| Drug class | Vitamin[1] |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status |
|
| Identifiers | |
| |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C27H44O |
| Molar mass | 384.648 g·mol−1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
| Melting point | 83 to 86 °C (181 to 187 °F) |
| Boiling point | 496.4 °C (925.5 °F) |
| Solubility in water | Practically insoluble in water, freely soluble in ethanol, methanol and some other organic solvents. Slightly soluble in vegetable oils. |
| |
| |
Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D3 and colecalciferol, is a type of vitamin D which is made by the skin when exposed to sunlight; it is also found in some foods and can be taken as a dietary supplement.[2] It is used to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency and associated diseases, including rickets.[3][4] It is also used for familial hypophosphatemia, hypoparathyroidism that is causing low blood calcium, and Fanconi syndrome.[4][5] Vitamin-D supplements may not be effective in people with severe kidney disease.[6] It is usually taken by mouth.[5]
Excessive doses in humans can result in vomiting, constipation, weakness, and confusion.[7] Other risks include kidney stones.[6] Doses greater than 40,000 IU (1,000 μg) per day are generally required before high blood calcium occurs.[8] Normal doses, 800–2000 IU per day, are safe in pregnancy.[7]
Cholecalciferol is made in the skin following UVB light exposure.[9] It is converted in the liver to calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) which is then converted in the kidney to calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D).[9] One of its actions is to increase the uptake of calcium by the intestines.[7] It is found in food such as some fish, beef liver, eggs, and cheese.[10][11] Certain foods such as milk, fruit juice, yogurt, and margarine also may have cholecalciferol added to them in some countries including the United States.[10][11]
Cholecalciferol was first described in 1936.[12] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[13] Cholecalciferol is available as a generic medication and over the counter.[5] Cholecalciferol is also used at much higher doses to kill rodents.[14][15]