Evans T R, Kaye S B
CRC Department of Medical Oncology, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, UK.
Br J Cancer. 1999 Apr;80(1-2):1-8. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6690312.
Vitamin A and its biologically active derivatives, retinal and retinoic acid (RA), together with a large repertoire of synthetic analogues are collectively referred to as retinoids. Naturally occurring retinoids regulate the growth and differentiation of a wide variety of cell types and play a crucial role in the physiology of vision and as morphogenic agents during embryonic development. Retinoids and their analogues have been evaluated as chemoprevention agents, and also in the management of acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Retinoids exert most of their effects by binding to specific receptors and modulating gene expression. The development of new active retinoids and the identification of two distinct families of retinoid receptors has led to an increased understanding of the cellular effects of activation of these receptors. In this article we review the use of retinoids in chemoprevention strategies, discuss the cellular consequences of activated retinoid receptors, and speculate on how our increasing understanding of retinoid-induced signalling pathways may contribute to future therapeutic strategies in the management of malignant disease.
维生素A及其生物活性衍生物视黄醛和视黄酸（RA），连同大量合成类似物，统称为类视黄醇。天然存在的类视黄醇调节多种细胞类型的生长和分化，在视觉生理以及胚胎发育过程中作为形态发生剂发挥关键作用。类视黄醇及其类似物已被评估为化学预防剂，也用于急性早幼粒细胞白血病的治疗。类视黄醇通过与特定受体结合并调节基因表达发挥其大部分作用。新型活性类视黄醇的开发以及两类不同的类视黄醇受体的鉴定，增进了我们对这些受体激活后细胞效应的理解。在本文中，我们综述了类视黄醇在化学预防策略中的应用，讨论了激活类视黄醇受体的细胞后果，并推测我们对类视黄醇诱导信号通路的日益了解可能如何有助于未来恶性疾病治疗策略的制定。
