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MS
PW-050 Cofactor & Vitamin Metabolism Cofactor recycling unreviewed

Vitamin K Cycle

Vitamin K hydroquinone + glutamate residues gamma-Carboxyglutamate residues (active clotting factors)
Compartment
ER membrane
Main tissue
Liver
Rate-limiting
Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1)
Steps
3

Reaction steps

In source order, 3 total

showing 1–3
  1. 1

    Glutamate residue + CO2 + O2 + vitamin K hydroquinone -> gamma-carboxyglutamate + vitamin K epoxide

    Notes

    Gla residues chelate Ca2+ and anchor factors II, VII, IX, X and proteins C, S and Z to phospholipid membranes; also osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein.

  2. 2

    Vitamin K 2,3-epoxide -> vitamin K quinone

    Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) 1.17.4.4 ST-0365 Irreversible/directional rate-limiting
    Notes

    The warfarin target. VKORC1 polymorphisms are a major determinant of warfarin dose requirement.

  3. 3

    Vitamin K quinone + NAD(P)H -> vitamin K hydroquinone

    VKORC1 / NQO1 quinone reductase ST-0366 Irreversible/directional NAD(P)H
    Notes

    The NQO1-dependent bypass explains why high-dose vitamin K can overcome warfarin.

Showing all 3 steps.

Recent literature

Live Europe PMC search

Europe PMC · fetched just now · sorted by publication date

  1. 1
    Sex-Specific Effects of Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) Supplementation on Body Composition and Adiposity Markers.

    Bittner R, de Vries F, Machuron F, Maresz K, Gåserød O, Schurgers L. · 2026-05-27

    open access unreviewed
  2. 2
  3. 3
    Differential prevalence of PFAS, PCBs and pesticides in liver of hunted game.

    Esther A, Peter M, Ritz V, Esther D, Gabriel D, Trommler R, Schenke D, Polaczek K, Fisch K, Müller C. · 2026-05-15

    open access unreviewed
  4. 4
    Vitamin K Biochemistry and Pharmacokinetics: The Basis of Late Vitamin K Deficiency Intracranial Bleeding in Early Infancy.

    Perrone S, Beretta V, Raitano V, Cerioni L, Carloni S. · 2026-04-29

    open access unreviewed
  5. 5
  6. 6
    Vitamin K as an Endocrine Modulator: Mechanistic Links to Glucose Metabolism and Beyond.

    Matuszewski W, Madeksza M, Szklarz M, Rutkiewicz A, Rutkowska J, Harazny JM. · 2026-04-09

    open access unreviewed
  7. 7
    Impact of Oxidative Stress-Driven Ferroptosis in Neurodegeneration.

    Rafique A, Junaid A, Bakovic M. · 2026-04-08

    open access unreviewed
  8. 8
  9. 9
    Aortic Calcification in a Long-Term Warfarin Patient.

    Rodrigues da Costa T, Costa Gonçalves PC, Spina GS. · 2026-02-24

    open access unreviewed
  10. 10
    Small-molecule inhibition of γ-glutamyl carboxylase reveals a novel anticoagulant strategy.

    Shen G, Song D, Li S, Chen X, Richter CE, Dong S, Guo Y, Liu H, Shen Y, Hao Z, Stafford DW, Shavit JA, Cao Q,… · 2026-04-01

    cited 1× open access unreviewed

External claims. These come from an index outside this database and are not checked against it. Treat them as leads.