ANSC 2120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Retinyl Palmitate, Vitamin A Deficiency, Retinol Binding Protein

• School: Cornell University
• Department: Animal Science
• Course: ANSC 2120
• Professor: Debbie Cherney

Document Summary

Lecture 23: vitamin a and zinc (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) All animals require a dietary source of vitmin a. Active vitamin a (retinol) does not occur in plants does not occur in plants, but plant carotenoids (e. g. beta carotene) act as pro-vitamins and can be converted to active vitamin a in the body. Vitamin a deficiency is a widespread problem in animals and human populations. Vitamin a is unusual among vitamins because both deficiency and excess are serious health hazards. Pro-vitamin a the carotenoids: the most abundant and widespread pro-vitamin a in animal feeds is beta-carotene. Active-vitamin a: the active form of vitamin a is retinol, an alcohol that can be converted to other forms (e. g. vitamin a esters) for storage in liver and other tissues. This gives fat, milk, and egg yolks a yellow (cid:1) pigment. Affected cells include the epithelium of the skin, gut, bone, ovary, and testis. Retinoic acid is an important regulator of embryonic cell differentiation.