-
Plant Communications Jan 2023Plant carotenoids are plastidial isoprenoids that function as photoprotectants, pigments, and precursors of apocarotenoids such as the hormones abscisic acid and... (Review)
Review
Plant carotenoids are plastidial isoprenoids that function as photoprotectants, pigments, and precursors of apocarotenoids such as the hormones abscisic acid and strigolactones. Humans do not produce carotenoids but need to obtain them from their diet as precursors of retinoids, including vitamin A. Carotenoids also provide numerous other health benefits. Multiple attempts to improve the carotenoid profile of different crops have been carried out by manipulating carotenoid biosynthesis, degradation, and/or storage. Here, we will focus on open questions and emerging subjects related to the use of biotechnology for carotenoid biofortification. After impressive achievements, new efforts should be directed to extend the use of genome-editing technologies to overcome regulatory constraints and improve consumer acceptance of the carotenoid-enriched products. Another challenge is to prevent off-target effects like those resulting from altered hormone levels and metabolic homeostasis. Research on biofortification of green tissues should also look for new ways to deal with the negative impact that altered carotenoid contents may have on photosynthesis. Once a carotenoid-enriched product has been obtained, additional effort should be devoted to confirming that carotenoid intake from the engineered food is also improved. This work involves ensuring post-harvest stability and assessing bioaccessibility of the biofortified product to confirm that release of carotenoids from the food matrix has not been negatively affected. Successfully addressing these challenges will ensure new milestones in carotenoid biotechnology and biofortification.
Topics: Humans; Biofortification; Carotenoids; Vitamin A; Terpenes; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 36303429
DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100466 -
Systematic Reviews Oct 2020Micronutrient deficiency affects the health and development of vulnerable population such as children and pregnant women. Measures such as fortification of food and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Micronutrient deficiency affects the health and development of vulnerable population such as children and pregnant women. Measures such as fortification of food and supplementation have been implemented to prevent or control deficiencies related to micronutrients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium fortification and supplementation on nutritional status of women in reproductive age group. To assess the toxicities and adverse events related to intervention.
METHODOLOGY
Systematic reviews including RCTs on women of reproductive age group provided with vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium supplementation or fortified food were included, to report all malnutrition-related outcomes due to deficiency of the abovementioned micronutrients. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EPPI Centre, Campbell Collaboration, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched electronically for English language publications, until 31 March 2018. Hand searching of the articles was done from the Journal of Food Science and Technology. Two independent reviewers selected the systematic reviews, extracted data, and assessed for the quality.
RESULTS
A total of 16 systematic reviews were included in narrative synthesis. Supplementation of vitamin A was reported to result in increased maternal serum retinol concentrations and increased breast milk retinol concentration. It reduced the risk of anemia (Hb < 11 g/dL) and reduced maternal clinical infection. Vitamin D supplementation increased 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. There was insufficient evidence for the effect on bone mineral density and serum calcium levels. Calcium supplementation did not have any significant effect on body weight, weight gain, and body mass index of the participants.
CONCLUSION
This overview of systematic reviews reiterates the nutritional importance of vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium supplementation for the reproductive age women. However, there was no empirical evidence available for fortification of food with vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium and nutritional benefits of the same for reproductive age women, therefore thrusting upon the need of conducting future quality research, i.e., clinical trials and systematic reviews for food fortification.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
A priori protocol for this overview of systematic reviews was registered in PROSPERO with registration number CRD42018089403 .
Topics: Calcium; Child; Dietary Supplements; Female; Humans; Nutritional Status; Pregnancy; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Vitamin A; Vitamin D
PubMed: 33109248
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-020-01501-8 -
Biomolecules Jun 2022Atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, which are the leading cause of death worldwide. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a... (Review)
Review
Atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, which are the leading cause of death worldwide. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a natural derivative of essential vitamin A. Numerous studies have shown that ATRA plays an important role in cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell differentiation, and embryonic development. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a ligand of retinoic acid receptors that regulates various biological processes by activating retinoic acid signals. In this paper, the metabolic processes of ATRA were reviewed, with emphasis on the effects of ATRA on inflammatory cells involved in the process of atherosclerosis.
Topics: Apoptosis; Atherosclerosis; Cell Differentiation; Humans; Receptors, Retinoic Acid; Tretinoin
PubMed: 35883425
DOI: 10.3390/biom12070869 -
The Journal of Nutrition Jul 2021
Topics: Models, Biological; Models, Theoretical; Vitamin A
PubMed: 33979840
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab120 -
Atencion Primaria 2021
Topics: Fibromyalgia; Humans; Vitamin A; Vitamin D Deficiency
PubMed: 33892225
DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2021.102076 -
Nutrients May 2022Carotenoids and vitamin A are nutrients crucial to infants’ development. To date, there is limited data on their availability in breastmilk and the associated dietary...
Carotenoids and vitamin A are nutrients crucial to infants’ development. To date, there is limited data on their availability in breastmilk and the associated dietary factors, especially in Hong Kong, where people follow a westernized Chinese diet. This study determined the selected breastmilk’s carotenoid and vitamin A (retinol) contents by ultraperformance liquid chromatography with photodiode detection (UPLC-PDA) and the dietary intakes by three-day food records in 87 Hong Kong lactating mothers, who were grouped into tertiles based on their daily carotenoid intake. Low vitamin A intake (530.2 ± 34.2 µg RAE/day) and breastmilk retinol level (1013.4 ± 36.8 nmol/L) were reported in our participants, suggesting a poor vitamin A status of the lactating participants having relatively higher socioeconomic status in Hong Kong. Mothers in the highest tertile (T3) had higher breastmilk carotenoid levels than those in the lowest (T1) (p < 0.05). There were significant associations between maternal carotenoid intakes and breastmilk lutein levels in the linear regression models (p < 0.05) regardless of dietary supplement intake. Furthermore, maternal dark green vegetable intakes were associated with breastmilk retinol, lutein, and β-carotene levels. These findings can serve as dietary references for lactating mothers to enhance breastmilk carotenoid and vitamin A contents for the benefits of child growth and development.
Topics: Carotenoids; Child; Diet; Female; Hong Kong; Humans; Infant; Lactation; Lutein; Milk, Human; Mothers; Vitamin A
PubMed: 35631170
DOI: 10.3390/nu14102031 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta.... Nov 2020Vitamin A is an essential nutrient necessary for numerous basic physiological functions, including reproduction and development, immune cell differentiation and... (Review)
Review
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient necessary for numerous basic physiological functions, including reproduction and development, immune cell differentiation and communication, as well as the perception of light. To evade the dire consequences of vitamin A deficiency, vertebrates have evolved specialized metabolic pathways that enable the absorption, transport, and storage of vitamin A acquired from dietary sources as preformed retinoids or provitamin A carotenoids. This evolutionary advantage requires a complex interplay between numerous specialized retinoid-transport proteins, receptors, and enzymes. Recent advances in molecular and structural biology resulted in a rapid expansion of our understanding of these processes at the molecular level. This progress opened new avenues for the therapeutic manipulation of retinoid homeostasis. In this review, we summarize current research related to the biochemistry of carotenoid and retinoid-processing proteins with special emphasis on the structural aspects of their physiological actions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Carotenoids recent advances in cell and molecular biology edited by Johannes von Lintig and Loredana Quadro.
Topics: Animals; Biological Transport; Carotenoids; Carrier Proteins; Homeostasis; Humans; Intestinal Absorption; Liver; Retinoids; Vertebrates; Vitamin A; Vitamin A Deficiency
PubMed: 31770587
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2019.158571 -
The Journal of Nutrition Jul 2020Better methods are needed for determining vitamin A absorption efficiency.
BACKGROUND
Better methods are needed for determining vitamin A absorption efficiency.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to measure vitamin A absorption in rats by adapting a plasma isotope ratio method previously used to determine cholesterol absorption.
METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats [n = 14; 340 ± 16 g (mean ± SD)] received an oral tracer dose of [3H]retinyl acetate in oil plus an intravenous dose of [14C]vitamin A-labeled lymph prepared in a donor rat that had received [14C]retinyl acetate intraduodenally. Blood samples were collected on days 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12, and plasma was analyzed for 3H and 14C; vitamin A absorption was calculated for each sample as (fraction of oral dose/fraction of intravenous dose) × 100. Radioactivity was also measured in feces and urine collected as pools on days 3, 6, 9, and 12 and in liver and remaining carcass on day 12.
RESULTS
Vitamin A absorption calculated as the plasma isotope ratio was >100% on day 1, 78% ± 5% on day 6, 76% ± 5% on day 9, and 74% ± 5% on day 12; fitting the data to an exponential function plus a constant predicted an absorption of 75% by day 14. Recovery of the oral dose in feces (day 0 to day 6) was low (6.2% ± 0.84%, n = 10) and the mean isotope ratio in day 9-12 urine pool was lower than that in plasma.
CONCLUSIONS
The plasma isotope ratio holds promise for estimating vitamin A absorption, but additional work is needed to determine how long studies need to be and if the doses should be administered simultaneously. For application of this method in humans, artificial chylomicrons labeled with a stable isotope of retinyl acetate could be used for the intravenous dose, with a different isotope required for the oral dose.
Topics: Animals; Biological Transport; Carbon Radioisotopes; Isotope Labeling; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tritium; Vitamin A
PubMed: 32271921
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa092 -
Journal of Molecular Endocrinology Nov 2022Vitamin A (retinol) is an important nutrient for embryonic development and adult health. Early studies identified retinoic acid (RA) as a metabolite of retinol, however,...
Vitamin A (retinol) is an important nutrient for embryonic development and adult health. Early studies identified retinoic acid (RA) as a metabolite of retinol, however, its importance was not apparent. Later, it was observed that RA treatment of vertebrate embryos had teratogenic effects on limb development. Subsequently, the discovery of nuclear RA receptors (RARs) revealed that RA controls gene expression directly at the transcriptional level through a process referred to as RA signaling. This important discovery led to further studies demonstrating that RA and RARs are required for normal embryonic development. The determination of RA function during normal development has been challenging as RA gain-of-function studies often lead to conclusions about normal development that conflict with RAR or RA loss-of-function studies. However, genetic loss-of-function studies have identified direct target genes of endogenous RA/RAR that are required for normal development of specific tissues. Thus, genetic loss-of-function studies that eliminate RARs or RA-generating enzymes have been instrumental in revealing that RA signaling is required for normal early development of many organs and tissues, including the hindbrain, posterior body axis, somites, spinal cord, forelimbs, heart, and eye.
Topics: Animals; Carrier Proteins; Female; Pregnancy; Receptors, Retinoic Acid; Signal Transduction; Tretinoin; Vitamin A
PubMed: 35593389
DOI: 10.1530/JME-22-0041 -
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular... 2022According to relevant clinical research, dietary and circulating antioxidants vitamin A are connected with the risk of breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer in women.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
According to relevant clinical research, dietary and circulating antioxidants vitamin A are connected with the risk of breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer in women. However, there was inconsistency between the findings. We completed this meta-analysis at the right moment to address this contradiction of the problem.
METHODS
Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed databases were searched using the proposed search strategy and filtered using the inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as the NOS quality score. As of May 2022, low intake or low concentration was used as a control, and odds ratio (OR) or relative risk (RR) and ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CI) were extracted for high intake. Stata 12.0 was used to process the data.
RESULTS
Our meta-analysis included a total of 49 studies, 29 on breast cancer, 10 on ovarian cancer, and 10 on cervical cancer. There were 38 case-control studies included, with 25,363 cases and 42,281 controls; there were 11 cohort studies included, 1,334,176 individuals were followed up, and finally 9496 obtained cancer. The pooled OR value results were as follows: diet or supplements (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.76-0.90, = 56.1%) and serum or plasma (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.86-1.09, = 29.5%). Subgroup analyses were performed according to cancer type, diet or supplements, serum or plasma, study type, and geographic regions.
CONCLUSIONS
In North American and Asian populations, high dietary consumption of vitamin A or supplements decreases the incidence of three cancers in women, with breast and ovarian cancers being more significant. However, high circulating vitamin A concentrations were not significantly connected with the risk of the three malignancies.
Topics: Female; Humans; Vitamin A; Diet; Nutritional Status; Breast Neoplasms; Ovarian Neoplasms
PubMed: 36388168
DOI: 10.1155/2022/7686405