1. Introduction
2. Retinoic Acid Feedback Loop
3. Retinyl Esters contribute to feedback
4. Conclusion
5. References
6. Related articles

Introduction

Vitamin A plays a key role in a variety of biological processes, from regulating cell growth and differentiation, to the maintenance of eye and skin health. It is classified as a dietary vitamin, as the body cannot synthesise it by itself. The precursor to vitamin A, beta-carotene, can be obtained from plant sources which possess orange and red colours, such as carrots. Additionally, retinyl esters can be obtained from animal sources such as beef liver, which is the storage of Vitamin A that accumulates in the liver and adipose fat. [1]

These retinyl esters don’t have a significant role aside from being a substrate to convert into other Retinals and Retinol products in the body, such as 11-cis-retinal for vision. [2] Retinol itself also doesn’t primarily contribute to the biological roles of vitamin A, as it must be further converted to retinoic acid. [3] It’s believed that Accutane also serves as a substrate for conversion into Retinoic Acid within the cell. The advantage of applying Isotretinoin (Accutane) rather than Retinoic Acid is that it bypasses the body’s metabolising enzymes (P450) that would otherwise breakdown excessive Retinoic Acid. This leads to even greater accumulation of Retinoic Acid in the cell nucleus. [4]

Related articles

What causes Post Accutane Syndrome?