Abu Jafaru, Batuwangala Madu, Herbert Karl, Symonds Paul
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radiation and Oxidative Stress Group, Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, University Hospitals of Leicester, UK.
Lancet Oncol. 2005 Sep;6(9):712-20. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(05)70319-3.
Retinoids are natural and synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, which can be obtained from animal products (milk, liver, beef, fish oils, and eggs) and vegetables (carrots, mangos, sweet potatoes, and spinach). Retinoids regulate various important cellular functions in the body through specific nuclear retinoic-acid receptors and retinoid-X receptors, which are encoded by separate genes. Retinoic-acid receptors specifically bind tretinoin and alitretinoin, whereas retinoid-X receptors bind only alitretinoin. Retinoids have long been established as crucial for several essential life processes-healthy growth, vision, maintenance of tissues, reproduction, metabolism, tissue differentiation (normal, premalignant cells, and malignant cells), haemopoiesis, bone development, spermatogenesis, embryogenesis, and overall survival. Therefore, deficiency of vitamin A can lead to various unwanted biological effects. Several experimental and epidemiological studies have shown the antiproliferative activity of retinoids and their potential use in cancer treatment and chemoprevention. Emerging clinical trials have shown the chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive potential of retinoids in cancerous and precancerous conditions of the uterine cervix. In this review, we explore the potential chemopreventive and therapeutic roles of retinoids in preinvasive and invasive cervical neoplasia.
维甲酸是维生素A的天然和合成衍生物，可从动物产品（牛奶、肝脏、牛肉、鱼油和鸡蛋）和蔬菜（胡萝卜、芒果、红薯和菠菜）中获取。维甲酸通过特定的核视黄酸受体和类视黄醇X受体调节体内各种重要的细胞功能，这些受体由不同的基因编码。视黄酸受体特异性结合全反式维甲酸和阿利维A酸，而类视黄醇X受体仅结合阿利维A酸。长期以来，维甲酸一直被认为对几个基本生命过程至关重要——健康生长、视力、组织维持、繁殖、新陈代谢、组织分化（正常细胞、癌前细胞和恶性细胞）、造血、骨骼发育、精子发生、胚胎发生和整体生存。因此，维生素A缺乏会导致各种不良生物学效应。多项实验和流行病学研究表明了维甲酸的抗增殖活性及其在癌症治疗和化学预防中的潜在用途。新出现的临床试验表明了维甲酸在子宫颈癌和癌前病变中的化疗和化学预防潜力。在本综述中，我们探讨了维甲酸在宫颈上皮内瘤变和浸润性宫颈肿瘤中的潜在化学预防和治疗作用。
