The term vitamin B6 is the generic description for the 2-methylpyridine derivatives that have the biological activity of pyridoxine. The vitamin includes aldehyde (pyridoxal) and amine (pyridoxamine) forms. Originally part of Goldberger’s ”pellagra-preventative factor,” vitamin B6 was recognized to have a specific role in preventing dermatitic acrodynia in rats. It was subsequently isolated and identified in the late 1930s. Vitamin B6 is obtained from both plant and animal sources. It is also synthesized by the gut microflora, though in nonruminant animals this source is of doubtful significance.
Nonruminant animals require a dietary source of pyridoxine to prevent the development of several deficiency signs. These include reduced growth, muscular weakness, hyperirritability, epileptiform convulsions, anemia, acrodynia, scaly dermatitis, and alopecia.
