synthesis and use of stable isotope enriched retinals in the field of vitamin a合成和使用领域的稳定同位素浓缩视网膜维生素a.pdfVIP

Molecules 2010, 15, 1825-1872; doi:10.3390/molecule OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Review Synthesis and Use of Stable Isotope Enriched Retinals in the Field of Vitamin A Prativa B.S. Dawadi and Johan Lugtenburg * Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands; E-Mail: p.b.s.dawadi@ (P.B.S.D.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: lugtenbu@chem.leidenuniv.nl. Received: 15 January 2010; in revised form: 18 February 2010 / Accepted: 2 March 2010 / Published: 15 March 2010 Abstract: The role of vitamin A and its metabolites in the life processes starting with the historical background and its up to date information is discussed in the introduction. Also the role of 11Z-retinal in vision and retinoic acid in the biological processes is elucidated. The essential role of isotopically enriched systems in the progress of vision research, nutrition research etc. is discussed. In part B industrial commercial syntheses of vitamin A by the two leading companies Hoffmann-La Roche (now DSM) and BASF are discussed. The knowledge obtained via these pioneering syntheses has been essential for the further synthetic efforts in vitamin A field by other scientific groups. The rest of the paper is devoted to the synthetic efforts of the Leiden group that gives an access to the preparation of site directed high level isotope enrichment in retinals. First the synthesis of the retinals