Vitamin A in health care: Suppression of growth and induction of differentiation in cancer cells by vitamin A and its derivatives and their mechanisms of action

Vitamin A is an importantmicro-essential nutrient, whose primary dietary source is retinyl esters. In addition, beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) is a precursor of vitamin A contained in green and yellow vegetables that is converted to retinol in the body after ingestion. Retinol is oxidized to produce visual retinal, which is further oxidized to retinoic acid (RA), which is used as a therapeutic agent for patients with promyelocytic leukemia. Thus, the effects of retinal and RA are well known. In this paper, we will introduce (1) vitamin A circulation in the body, (2) the actions and mechanisms of retinal and RA, (3) retinoylation: another RA mechanism not depending on RA receptors, (4) the relationship between cancer and actions of retinol or beta-carotene, whose roles in vivo are still unknown, and (5) anti-cancer actions of vitamin A derivatives derived fromfenretinide (4-HPR). We propose that vitamin A nutritional management is effective in the prevention of cancer. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper introduces the circulation of vitamin A in the body, the actions and mechanisms of retinal and RA, retinoylation as an RA mechanism independent of RA receptors, the relationship between cancer and the actions of retinol or beta-carotene, and the anti-cancer actions of vitamin A derivatives derived from fenretinide. The study suggests that nutritional management of vitamin A is effective in cancer prevention.