Retinyl acetate (retinol acetate, vitamin A acetate) is a natural form of
vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably ...
which is the
acetate ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...
of
retinol
Retinol, also called vitamin A1, is a fat-soluble vitamin in the vitamin A family found in food and used as a dietary supplement. As a supplement it is used to treat and prevent vitamin A deficiency, especially that which results in xeroph ...
. It has potential antineoplastic and
chemopreventive
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
activities.
In the United States, retinyl acetate is classified
generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the amounts used to fortify foods with vitamin A.
Toxicology
World Health Organization recommendation on Maternal Supplementation During Pregnancy states that "health benefits are expected for the mother and her developing fetus with little risk of detriment to either, from a daily supplement not exceeding 10,000 IU vitamin A (3000mcg RE) at any time during pregnancy." Preformed Vitamin A refers to retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate.
References
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Vitamins
Acetate esters
Cyclohexenes