Menadione, a drug belong to class of Vitamin K, is prescribed for the treatment of hemorrhage, vitamin K deficiency, moderate to severe forms of hypoprothrombinaemia in adults and children. Menadione is a synthetic form of vitamin K, a lipid-soluble vitamin. Vitamin K is a vital cofactor for the biosynthesis of prothrombin, factor VII, IX, X, protein C and protein S. Menadione supports the functions of osteocalcin. Large doses of menadione have been reported to cause adverse outcomes including hemolytic anemia due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, neonatal brain or liver damage, or neonatal death in some rare cases.

Menadione bisulfite is a water-soluble analog of Vitamin K3. Pharmacologic studies on menadione bisulfate indicad that its toxicity is relatively low. In man, doses approximately ten times as great as those generally recommended for therapeutic use, given daily for a period of one week. Redox cycling compounds, such as menadione, have the potential to effectively mitigate the toxicity of organophosphorus pesticides including parathion. Menadione bisulfite behaved as a competitive inhibitor of chicken muscle aldose reductase.

Menaquinone-5 (MK-5) is a bacterial respiratory quinone, which belongs to Vitamin K2 derivatives. It can be found in dairy foods and fermented food products.

Phylloquinone is often called vitamin K1 or phytonadione. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stable to air and moisture but decomposes in sunlight. It is found naturally in a wide variety of green plants. Phylloquinone is also an antidote for coumatetralyl. Vitamin K is needed for the posttranslational modification of certain proteins, mostly required for blood coagulation. MEPHYTON (Phytonadione tablets) are indicated in the following coagulation disorders which are due to faulty formation of factors II, VII, IX and X when caused by vitamin K deficiency or interference with vitamin K activity: anticoagulant-induced prothrombin deficiency caused by coumarin or indanedione derivatives; hypoprothrombinemia secondary to antibacterial therapy; hypoprothrombinemia secondary to administration of salicylates; hypoprothrombinemia secondary to obstructive jaundice or biliary fistulas but only if bile salts are administered concurrently, since otherwise the oral vitamin K will not be absorbed. MEPHYTON tablets possess the same type and degree of activity as does naturally-occurring vitamin K, which is necessary for the production via the liver of active prothrombin (factor II), proconvertin (factor VII), plasma thromboplastin component (factor IX), and Stuart factor (factor X). The prothrombin test is sensitive to the levels of three of these four factors II, VII, and X. Vitamin K is an essential cofactor for the gamma-carboxylase enzymes, which catalyze the posttranslational gamma-carboxylation of glutamic acid residues in inactive hepatic precursors of coagulation factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X. Gamma-carboxylation converts these inactive precursors into active coagulation factors, which are secreted by hepatocytes into the blood. Supplementing with Phylloquinone results in a relief of vitamin K deficiency symptoms, which include easy bruisability, epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, menorrhagia and hematuria. Oral phytonadione is adequately absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract only if bile salts are present. After absorption, phytonadione is initially concentrated in the liver, but the concentration declines rapidly. Very little vitamin K accumulates in tissues. Little is known about the metabolic fate of vitamin K. Almost no free unmetabolized vitamin K appears in bile or urine. In normal animals and humans, phytonadione is virtually devoid of pharmacodynamic activity. However, in animals and humans deficient in vitamin K, the pharmacological action of vitamin K is related to its normal physiological function; that is, to promote the hepatic biosynthesis of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors. MEPHYTON tablets generally exert their effect within 6 to 10 hours.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a water-soluble vitamin. It occurs as a white or slightly yellow crystal or powder with a slight acidic taste. Ascorbic acid is an electron donor, and this property accounts for all its known functions. As an electron donor, ascorbic acid is a potent water-soluble antioxidant in humans. Ascorbic acid acts as an antioxidant under physiologic conditions exhibiting a cross over role as a pro-oxidant in pathological conditions. Oxidized ascorbic acid (dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) directly inhibits IkappaBalpha kinase beta (IKKbeta) and IKKalpha enzymatic activity in vitro, whereas ascorbic acid did not have this effect. These findings define a function for vitamin C in signal transduction other than as an antioxidant and mechanistically illuminate how vitamin C down-modulates NF-kappaB signaling. Vitamin C is recommended for the prevention and treatment of scurvy. Its parenteral administration is desirable for patients with an acute deficiency or for those whose absorption of orally ingested ascorbic acid (vitamin c) is uncertain. Symptoms of mild deficiency may include faulty bone and tooth development, gingivitis, bleeding gums, and loosened teeth. Febrile states, chronic illness, and infection (pneumonia, whooping cough, tuberculosis, diphtheria, sinusitis, rheumatic fever, etc.) increase the need for ascorbic acid (vitamin c). Hemovascular disorders, burns, delayed fracture and wound healing are indications for an increase in the daily intake.