HSS 2342 Lecture Notes - Lecture 38: Retinol, Beta-Carotene, Retinoid

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HSS 2342
• Professor: Keir J Menzies

Document Summary

Protect cells from oxidative damage: vitamins quench free radicals (donate an electron, minerals act as cofactors for enzymes that protect from oxidative damage, phytochemicals (found in vegetables and fruits) Oxidation (lose an electron) is part of normal metabolism: oxidation (lose) and reduction (gain) reactions, unpaired electron = free radical, damages lipids, dna, rna, proteins. Vitamin a was the first fat-soluble vitamin to be recognized. There are three different forms of vitamin a: retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. Vitamin a, once absorbed, travels in the lymph (it is fat-soluble) and eventually arrives at the liver. To travel to other tissues, retinal-binding protein is needed. Cells take up vitamin a by receptors on its surface. Regulation and/or expression of genes: retinal vision, retinol protein synthesis and cell differentiation major transport and storage form of vitamin a, retinoic acid reproduction and growth. Vitamin a helps maintain the cornea and participates in the conversion of light energy into nerve impulses at the retina.