Biochemistry  
Vitamin  A  
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Al-Anood Asiri
Osamah Al-Jarallah
Lama Mokhlis
Abdulaziz Al-Shamlan
Noha Khalil
Abdullah Al-Mazyad
Reem Al-Mansour
Turki Al-Otaibi
Hadeel Helmi
Khalid Al-Khamis
Nuha Al-Furayh

Jumana Al-Shammari
 Vitamin  A  
Outlines:  
• General  biochemistry  and  types   When  Vitamins  were  discovered  they  
•  General  functions   were  called  Vitamine  (vital+amine)  
•  Functions  in  the  vision  cycle   later  they  changed  it  because  not  all  
•  Deficiency  and  diseases   of  vitamins  had  amines.  
 
Vitamin  
An  organic  chemical  compound  is  called  a  vitamin  when  it  cannot  be  synthesized  in  
sufficient  quantities  by  an  organism,  and  must  be  obtained  from  the  diet.  
 
•  Essential  
•  Noncaloric  (not  a  source  of  energy  but  they  help  in  carbohydrates/fat/protein  
metabolism)    
•  Required  in  very  small  amounts  
 
Solubility:  
Fat-­‐Soluble  Vitamins     Water-­‐Soluble  Vitamins    
A,  K,  E  and  D  (‫)ﺃأﻛﻳﯾﺩد‬ •  Ascorbic  acid  (vitamin  C)  
  •  Thiamin  (vitamin  B1)  
Can’t  be  excreted  out  by     Is  excreted  by  
•  Riboflavin  (vitamin  B2)  
urine  à  more  risk  of     urine  (Rarely  
•  Niacin  
intoxication  (in  overdose)     cause  toxicity)    
•  Pyridoxine  (vitamin  B6)  
  •  Biotin  
  •  Pantothenic  acid  
  •  Folate  
  •  Cobalamin  (vitamin  B12)
 
 Vitamin  A  from  plants    
Provitamin    
•  Are  inactive  but  can  be  converted  into  retinoids  (active)  when  metabolized  in  the  body  
e.g:    Carotenoids  (b-­‐carotene)  (Precursor  of  Vit  A)  and  cryptoxanthin  
 
Vitamin  A  from  animal  sources   To  remember  >>  Animals  can  
Preformed   walk  so  they  are  active.  Plants  
 Are  metabolically  active   can’t  walk  so  they  are  inactive.  
 Three  preformed  compounds  (retinoids)  
•  RETINOL  (alcohol)  –  is  convertible  to  other  forms  of  vit  A   Can  be  converted  to  the  other  two  
•  RETINAL  or  retinaldehyde  –  essential  in  vision   forms  
 
•  RETINOIC  acid  (Carboxyl  group)–  essential  for  skin  health  and  bone  growth  (can’t  
change  its  form  –  it  means  that  it  can  not  be  converted  to  Retinol  or  Retinal  )  
 Functions Of Vitamin A:  
• Vision • Bone metabolism
• Gene transcription • Skin Health
• Immune function • Antioxidant activity
• Embryonic development and reproduction
Vitamin A
• Essential role in vision (retinal) and normal cell differentiation (retinoic Acid)
• Deficiency most significant cause of blindness in the developing world
• Large doses over a prolonged period of time can produce intoxication and eventually lead to
liver disease (it is called Hypervitaminosis)
• Excessive carotenoids (inactive) intake can result in yellowing of the skin, but appears to be
harmless
It  may  appear  like  Jaundice  but  sclera  in  this  case  is  white    

Role of Vitamin A in Vision

• Normal vision depends on the retina and on adequate vitamin A
• George Wald was awarded Nobel Prize in 1967, for identifying the role of vitamin A in vision
• Retina is a light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye where an image is formed
• Retina consists of: Rod and cone cells (photosensitive cells)
• Vitamin A in the form of retinal binds to opsin proteins to make rhodopsin (in rods) and iodopsin
(in cones)

Vision Cycle:
• It is the process where light impacting on the photosensitive cells of the retina is converted into
an electrical signal to the optic nerve
• The nerve impulse generated by the optic nerve is conveyed to the brain where it can be
interpreted as vision.

FO
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FO
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Role of Vitamin A in Vision
• When stimulated by light vitamin A changes (or isomerizes) from its bent ‘cis’ form to a straighter
‘trans’ form and detaches from opsin
• The opsin molecule changes shape, which sends a signal to the brain and an image is formed
• Most retinal released in this process is quickly converted to trans-Retinol and then to cis-Retinal,
to begin another cycle
trans-­‐Retinal  à  trans-­‐Retinol  àcis-­‐Retinol  à    cis-­‐Retinal  

Dark Adaptation time

• Bright light depletes stores of rhodopsin in rods
• A sudden shift from bright lights to dimly lit area causes difficulty in seeing
• Rhodopsin is synthesized in few minutes and vision is improved
• This time is called the dark adaptation time
• Dark adaptation time is increased in vitamin A deficiency

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

• Vitamin A for Adults
Women: 700 µg or 2,330 IU
Men: 900 µg or 3,000 IU
Upper Limit Men or Women: 3,000 µg or 10,000 IU

Vitamin A Deficiency and Diseases

• Night blindness or Nyctalopia -patient cannot see in
low light or near darkness conditions
• Xerophthalmia - dryness of the conjunctiva and
cornea
• Bitot’s spots- localized increased thickness of conjunctiva
• Keratomalacia – prolonged xerophthalmia leads to drying and clouding of cornea
• Blindness (in sever deficiency)
MCQ:
Which of the following vitamins is water-soluble?
1. Vitamin A
2. Vitamin K
3. Vitamin C
4. Vitamin D

Which of the following is an active form of vitamin A?

1. Carotenoids
2. B-carotene
3. Cryptoxanthin  
4. Retinoic acid

Which of the following statements about Vitamin A is true?

1. Vitamin A deficiency decreases Dark Adaptation time
2. Prolonged xerophthalmia leads to drying and clouding of cornea
3. Large doses of carotenoids over a prolonged period of time can produce intoxication
4. Darkness depletes stores of rhodopsin in rods

Which one of the following Vitamin A forms is a component of the visual pigment "Rhodopsin"?
1. 11-cis Retinol
2. Retinoic acid
3. 11 –cis Retinal
4. All-trans Retinal

Answers:
3
4
2
3

Done by:
Jumana Al-Shammari and Nuha Al-Furayh

Reviewed by :
Turki Al-otaibi & Al-Anood Asiri