title: What the practicing nurse should know about thiamine.
abstract: Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential nutritional component that acts as a coenzyme in the oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids. It also serves as the connection between the glycolytic cycle and the high energy-producing Krebs (or citric acid) cycle. Unlike other B vitamins, it activates the guanylate cyclase/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) system but not the adenylate cyclase system. The active coenzyme, thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) is an antiberiberi substance. Thiamine itself is a pharmacologic antagonist of acetylcholine, which may explain the nerve lesions caused by thiamine deficiency. Liver, pork, yeast, and rice-polishings are rich in thiamine; however, several antithiamine factors are also found in common foods. For example, a thermal labile factor in the viscera of fresh water fish and tea leaves antagonizes thiamine.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
mesh_terms: D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D013831:Thiamine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D013831:Thiamine