Epilepsy & Seizures
Asymmetric tonic seizures
Mar. 12, 2025
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Process of digestion and absorption of folate in the gastrointestinal tract
Once the food matrix enters the stomach via the esophagus, folates are liberated from the food matrix in the presence of hydrochloric acid. For example, some folate-binding proteins (FBPs) are denatured during gastric digestion, allowing the release of bound folates. In the small intestine, FA and tetrahydrofolate (THF) are transported across the cell membranes of enterocytes via two types of folate transporters: the proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) and the reduced folate carrier (RFC1). Polyglutamates are deconjugated into monoglutamates with the help of γ-glutamylhydrolase (GGH), located on the brush border of the enterocytes. All absorbed folate vitamers are converted to 5-MTHF in the enterocytes and exported to the liver via the portal vein. The folates are then involved in the systemic circulation and delivered to various cells, where they participate in different physiological pathways.
Other abbreviations: DHF, dihydrofolate; DHFR, dihydrofolate reductase; Glu, glutamate; MTHFD, methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase; MTHFR, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase; 5,10-MTHF, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate.
(From: Li J, Duan H, Ramaswamy H, Wang C. A comprehensive review of fortification, bioavailability, and health benefits of folate. Int J Mol Sci 2025;26[16]:7703. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International [CC BY 4.0] license, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.)