function
Last reviewed 10/2023
- vitamin A is necessary for the normal growth of epithelial tissue
- aids in the synthesis of polysaccharides
- vitamin A is essential for formation of visual pigment, rhodopsin:
- the aldehyde of vitamin A, retinal, is configured as the cis isomer and bound to the protein opsin
- light modifies the molecule to switch it to its trans form
- may have a role in protection against degenerative and neoplastic change