Vitamin A Retinoids and Carotenoids

The main physiologically active forms of vitamin A are retinaldehyde and retinoic acid, both of which are derived from retinol. Retinaldehyde functions in the visual system as the prosthetic group of the opsins, which act as the signal transducers between reception of light in the retina and initiation of the nervous impulse. 

Retinoic acid modulates gene expression and tissue differentiation, acting by way of nuclear receptors. Historically, there was confusion between the effects of deficiency of vitamins A and D by the 1950s, it was believed that the confusion had been resolved. Elucidation of the nuclear actions of the two vitamins has shown that, in many systems, the two act in concert, forming retinoid-vitamin D heterodimeric receptors hypervitaminosis A can antagonize the actions of vitamin D. 

In vitro, and in experimental animals, vitamin A has anticancer action related to its role in modulating gene expression and tissue differentiation. It retards the initiation and growth of some experimental tumors. However, it only shows these effects at toxic levels, and a number of synthetic analogs. 

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