RETINOL
•Retinol is an unsaturated alcohol containing ionone ring .
•Sources_ : Fish, liver oils, eggs, milk, butter, carrots,spinach ,mango's
•Pharmakokinetics :
•Absorption - absorbed in small intestines via micelles.
• Dietary fats enhance its absorption.
• binds to RBP and transthyretin for transport.
•Metabolism- oxidized to retinal & then to retinoic acid.
•Excretion- excreted in bile and eliminated via faeces.
•Therapeutic uses and doses :
•Prophylaxis of vit A during Pregnancy,infancy etc.. require a dosage of 3000-5000IU/ day .
•Treatment of vitamin A deficiency requires 50,000 to 100,000 IU -IM or orally for 1-3 days.
•Drug interactions :
•1)vit E improves Storage & utilization of vitamin A.
•2)use of liquid paraffin leads to deficiency of vitamin A .
•3) use of oral contraceptives increases levels of vit A.
•Toxicity:
•Also called as Hypervitaminosis A.
•Chronic toxicity symptoms include nausea, Vomiting , itching, erythema,
dermatitis ,exfoliation, fissures of lips, tenderness of bones, brittle nails , decreased HDL,
increased triglycerides, edema etc…
•Acute toxicity is manifested as drowsiness, headache, vomiting,abdominal Pain, anorexia
etc...