Concentrations of various forms of vitamin B 6 in ginkgo seed poisoning

• Published in: Brain & development (Tokyo. 1979) 2019-03, Vol.41 (3), p.292
• Main Authors: Sado, Tomomitsu, Nakata, Setsuko, Tsuno, Takahisa, Sato, Masanori, Misawa, Yuka, Yamauchi, Shoko, Inaba, Yuji, Kobayashi, Daisuke, Wada, Keiji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child, Preschool; Developmental Disabilities - etiology; Female; Foodborne Diseases - blood; Foodborne Diseases - cerebrospinal fluid; Foodborne Diseases - complications; Foodborne Diseases - etiology; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Glutamic Acid - metabolism; Humans; Plant Extracts - poisoning; Pyridoxic Acid - metabolism; Pyridoxine - analogs & derivatives; Pyridoxine - cerebrospinal fluid; Pyridoxine - metabolism; Seeds - poisoning; Vitamin B 6
• ISSN: 1872-7131
• DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2018.10.007

A 2-year-old girl required medical attention for a sudden onset of repetitive tonic-clonic convulsions after ingesting 20-30 ginkgo seeds. Concentrations of the major forms of circulating vitamin B , pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), pyridoxal (PL), and 4-pyridoxic acid, as well as the known ginkgo seed toxin 4'-O-methylpyridoxine (MPN) were measured in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). PLP is an active form of vitamin B and necessary for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production. High MPN concentrations were observed in both the serum and CSF. As the PLP to PL ratio was markedly decreased in serum and CSF examinations, we suspected the ratio to be important in GABA production. This case report provides novel information on the metabolism of vitamin B in humans as a result of ginkgo seed poisoning.