Metabolic activities of vitamin D in animals. IV. Distribution of vitamin D sulfokinase in animal tissues and its isolation

The cholecalciferol sulphate system in mammals

7-Dehydrocholesterol sulphate has been identified in human and rat skin. The compound was isolated by anion exchange chromatography and following hydrolysis it was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Experiments with rats showed that 7-dehydrocholesterol sulphate can serve as a precursor of cholecalciferol sulphate and 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol 3-sulphate, the latter compound being present in significant amounts in human blood. The sulphated sterols identified represent a previously unknown secosteroid system in mammals.

Cholecalciferol sulfate identification in human milk by HPLC

Synthetic vitamin D3 sulfate was prepared by reacting cholecalciferol with sulfamic acid in pyridine. Vitamin D3 sulfate ammonium salt was purified by crystallisation and transformed in sulfate sodium salt. Homogeneity was controlled by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Purified synthetic vitamin D3 sulfate sodium salt was used as a reference. Milk whey was obtained after protein precipitation by adding ethanol. Vitamin D3 sulfoconjugate was identified in supernatant (lyophylized) after purification by Sephadex LH 20 and HPLC. Milk whey purified fraction obtained exhibited the same ultra-violet absorption (UV) as synthetic vitamin D3 sulfate; after solvolysis, cholecalciferol was liberated from natural and synthetic sulfoconjugate. The results confirmed that vitamin D3 sulfate was present in human milk.