Rogers M B
Department of Biology, University of South Florida.
J Fla Med Assoc. 1994 Aug;81(8):553-6.
Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy epithelial tissues, e.g., skin and gut, normal reproductive capacity, and vision. Vitamin A deficiency also causes premalignant changes in epithelial tissues. These observations led to the use of retinoids (vitamin A-related compounds) in treating various skin diseases and more recently to inhibit cancer growth. Retinoids are extremely teratogenic to developing vertebrate embryos, a fact which limits their clinical usefulness. In particular, specific malformations of skeletal structures are often observed; for instance, retinoic acid induces craniofacial and limb deformities in avian and mammalian embryos. Recent technological advances have increased our understanding of how retinoids affect vertebrate development. Some newly discovered mechanisms underlying these actions are reviewed.
维生素A对于维持健康的上皮组织（如皮肤和肠道）、正常的生殖能力以及视力是必需的。维生素A缺乏还会导致上皮组织发生癌前变化。这些观察结果促使人们使用类视黄醇（与维生素A相关的化合物）来治疗各种皮肤病，最近还用于抑制癌症生长。类视黄醇对发育中的脊椎动物胚胎具有极强的致畸性，这一事实限制了它们的临床应用。特别是，经常观察到骨骼结构的特定畸形；例如，视黄酸会在鸟类和哺乳动物胚胎中诱发颅面和肢体畸形。最近的技术进步增进了我们对类视黄醇如何影响脊椎动物发育的理解。本文综述了这些作用背后的一些新发现机制。
