Vitamin D3

Cholecalciferol

Clinical data
Pronunciation	/ˌkoʊləkælˈsɪfərɒl/
AHFS/Drugs.com	Professional Drug Facts
Pregnancy category	US: A (No risk in human studies) and C
ATC code	A11CC05 (WHO)
Identifiers
IUPAC name (3β,5Z,7E)-9,10-secocholesta- 5,7,10(19)-trien-3-ol
Synonyms	vitamin D3, activated 7-dehydrocholesterol
CAS Number	67-97-0
PubChem CID	5280795
DrugBank	DB00169
ChemSpider	4444353
UNII	1C6V77QF41
ChEBI	CHEBI:28940
ChEMBL	CHEMBL1042
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.612
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C27H44O
Molar mass	384.64 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
Melting point	83 to 86 °C (181 to 187 °F)
Boiling point	496.4 °C (925.5 °F)
Solubility in water	Practically insoluble in water, freely soluble in ethanol, methanol and some other organic solvents. Slightly soluble in vegetable oils. mg/mL (20 °C)
SMILES O[C@@H]1CC(\C(=C)CC1)=C\C=C2/CCC[C@]3([C@H]2CC[C@@H]3[C@H](C)CCCC(C)C)C
InChI InChI=1S/C27H44O/c1-19(2)8-6-9-21(4)25-15-16-26-22(10-7-17-27(25,26)5)12-13-23-18-24(28)14-11-20(23)3/h12-13,19,21,24-26,28H,3,6-11,14-18H2,1-2,4-5H3/b22-12+,23-13-/t21-,24+,25-,26+,27-/m1/s1  N Key:QYSXJUFSXHHAJI-YRZJJWOYSA-N

Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D₃ and colecalciferol, is a type of vitamin D found in food and used as a dietary supplement. As a supplement it is used to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency including rickets. It is also used for familial hypophosphatemia, hypoparathyroidism that is causing low blood calcium, and Fanconi syndrome. It is taken by mouth.

Excessive doses can result in vomiting, constipation, weakness, and confusion. Other risks include kidney stones. Normal doses are safe in pregnancy. It may not be effective in people with severe kidney disease. After being converted into 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, it works by increasing the uptake of calcium by the intestines. Food in which it is found include some fish, cheese, and eggs.

Cholecalciferol was first described in 1936. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Cholecalciferol is available as a generic medication and over the counter. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 2.14 USD per 30 ml bottle. In the United States treatment costs less than 25 USD per month. Certain foods such as milk have cholecalciferol added to them in some countries.