BIOTIN AND THE AVIDIN-BIOTIN COMPLEX

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Abstract
The remarkable studies leading from Boas'' original description of egg-white injury to the present include the recognition of the egg-white effect as a deficiency syndrome and the existence of a protective dietary factor. The identification of vit. H with biotin and coenzyme R is one of those rare correlations which bring together segments of information that might otherwise have remained uncoordinated for many yrs. The formation of an unabsorbable complex of avidin with biotin as a mechanism for the production of a toxic effect may serve as a basis for future investigations in toxicology and nutrition. Avidin is a normally occurring basic protein substance found in certain specialized tissues of the genital tract in spp. known to require biotin. Since egg-yolk contains biotin, while egg albumen renders it ineffective, a distinct and as yet unknown metabolic relationship between them is suggested rather than merely a curious toxic effect. The universal distribution of biotin in living cells, its profound effects upon bacterial and tissue growth, and its very high level of biologic potency/unit wt. all suggest a fundamental role yet to be elucidated. Among the interesting possibilities are the role of biotin in resistance to disease, the clinical usefulness of egg white as a bacteriostatic agent, a suggested relationship between biotin and cancer, and the relation of clinical seborrheic dermatitis to the skin changes seen in egg-white injury. Synthetic biotin analogs which might function as specific anti-metabolites have far-reaching therapeutic potentialities.