Vitamin A AcidVitamin A acid is the form of vitamin A that is referred to as retinoic acid or Retin-A. In this formulation, it can be applied directly to the skin to treat acne and other skin diseases. It also promotes cell differentiation and supports the growth and development of embryos in the body.
Studies of vitamin A acid show that when the embryo is developing, concentration levels of the vitamin shift. Depending on the concentration, cells will develop differently. If vitamin A acid is not present in certain areas, such as in the hindbrain or the retinas, the genes will not express properly and birth defects are likely to result.
By far the most popular use of vitamin A acid is in tretinoin creams, which treat acne and certain other skin disorders. A number of skin products use Retin-A and related compounds, touting its effects to improve skin tissue health, stating that this may slow skin aging or remove wrinkles; this is supported only by contradictory studies. In addition, vitamin A acid may be used to treat Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, in which blood cells do not mature properly and cannot function. Vitamin A acid causes the undifferentiated cells to differentiate, mature, and ultimately die.
Web Resources On Vitamin A Acid
Homeobox Genes DataBase
Retinoic acid induces down-regulation of several growth factors and proto-oncogenes in a human embryonal cancer cell line.
Book Resources On Vitamin A AcidInvolvement of retinoic acidrelated orphan receptor alpha (RORalpha) in human breast cancer by Chunmin Dong
Protein design: Reengineering cellular retinoic acid binding protein II into a retinal binding protein by Chrysoula Vasileiou
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