Retinyl palmitate, or vitamin A palmitate, is the ester of retinol (vitamin A) and palmitic acid, with formula C36H60O2. An alternate spelling, retinol palmitate, which violates the -yl organic chemical naming convention for esters, is also frequently seen. Retinyl palmitate is a synthetic alternate for retinyl acetate in vitamin A supplements, and is available in oily or dry forms. It is a common vitamin supplement, available in both oral and injectable forms for treatment of vitamin A deficiency, under the brand names Aquasol A, Palmitate A and many others. It is a constituent of intra ocular treatment for dry eyes at a concentration of 138 µg/g (VitA-Pos) by Ursapharm. It is a pre-formed version of vitamin A; therefore, the intake should not exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Overdosing preformed Vitamin A forms such as retinyl palmitate leads to adverse physiological reactions (hypervitaminosis A). Retinyl palmitate is used as an antioxidant and a source of vitamin A added to low fat milk and other dairy products to replace the vitamin content lost through the removal of milk fat.
Palmitate is attached to the alcohol form of vitamin A, retinol, in order to make vitamin A stable in milk. Retinyl palmitate is also a constituent of some topically applied skin care products. After its absorption into the skin, retinyl palmitate is converted to retinol, and ultimately to retinoic acid (the active form of vitamin A present in Retin-A). The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and New York Senator Chuck Schumer have called attention to the fact that high doses of topical retinyl palmitate were shown to accelerate cancer in lab animals,[2] fueling the sunscreen controversy in the popular press.[3] One toxicological analysis determined that "there is no convincing evidence to support the notion that [retinyl palmitate] in sunscreens is carcinogenic."[4] EWG disputed the findings, calling the report "faulty" and "misleading."[5] A technical report issued thereafter by the National Toxicology Program concluded that diisopropyl adipate increased incidence of skin tumors in mice, and the addition of either retinoic acid or retinyl palmitate both exacerbated the rate and frequency of tumors.
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 [preformed] vitamin A (3000 µg RE) at any time during pregnancy."[7] Preformed Vitamin A refers to retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate. ^ Vitamin A, Linus Pauling Institute ^ National Toxicology Program. (2012). NTP technical report on the photocarcinogenesis study of retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate [CAS Nos. 302-79-4 (All-trans-retinoic acid) and 79-81-2 (All-trans-retinyl palmitate)] in SKH-1 mice (Simulated solar light and topical application study). Accessed September 19, 2013. You are hereVitamins » Vitamin A Meet the staff of the Micronutrient Information Center. If you value this website, please help by donating to the MIC. The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center provides scientific information on the health aspects of dietary factors and supplements, food, and beverages for the general public.
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J Pharm Biomed Anal. 1995 Mar;13(3):273-7.Scalia S1, Renda A, Ruberto G, Bonina F, Menegatti E.Author information1Istituto di Chimica Farmaceutica, Università di Catania, Italy.AbstractThe use of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) as an alternative to liquid extraction was examined for the isolation of vitamin A palmitate and vitamin E acetate from cream and lotion preparations. Investigation of the factors controlling the extraction efficiency in SFE indicated that vitamin recoveries were affected mainly by the extraction pressure and by the degree of sample dispersion. The vitamins were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography after a 30-min extraction of the cosmetic product with supercritical carbon dioxide at 40 degrees C and at a pressure of 250 atm. Compared with conventional liquid extraction SFE produced slightly lower recoveries (> 91.6%) but afforded a more effective purification of the cosmetic matrices. Moreover, SFE minimized sample handling and the use of harmful solvents and provided mild extraction conditions for the analysis of the labile vitamins.
Vitamin E acetate and vitamin A palmitate were assayed in commercial cream and lotion formulations using the proposed SFE technique.PMID: 7619887 [Indexed for MEDLINE] MeSH termsAnticarcinogenic Agents/analysis*Chromatography, High Pressure LiquidCosmetics/analysis*Radiation-Protective Agents/analysis*TocopherolsVitamin A/analogs & derivatives*Vitamin A/analysisVitamin E/analogs & derivatives*Vitamin E/analysisalpha-Tocopherol*/analogs & derivatives*SubstancesAnticarcinogenic AgentsCosmeticsRadiation-Protective AgentsVitamin AVitamin ETocopherolsretinol palmitatealpha-TocopherolFull Text SourcesElsevier ScienceMedicalCosmetics - MedlinePlus Health InformationVitamin A - MedlinePlus Health InformationVitamin E - MedlinePlus Health InformationMiscellaneousVITAMIN A - Hazardous Substances Data BankVITAMIN E - Hazardous Substances Data BankNCI CPTAC Assay PortalThe requested URL /?p=1640 was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.