The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.

DEFINITION:

cyanocobalamin

1. A cobalamin derivative in which the substituent is a cyanide ion; it is the form of vitamin B₁₂ first isolated and hence is the form chemically defined as and the form used as a synonym of that vitamin, although it is actually an artifact of isolation.

2. [USP] A preparation of cyanocobalamin used to treat disorders caused by deficiencies of vitamin B₁₂, particularly to prevent and treat pernicious anemia and other megaloblastic anemias and associated neuropathy; administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly or, occasionally, orally. Abbreviated CN-Cbl. Called also "vitamin B₁₂."