Vitamin A and glutathione-mediated free radical damage: competing reactions with polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C
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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development
Published on: April 15, 2013
M D'Aquino1, C Dunster, R L Willson
1National Institute of Nutrition, Roma, Italy.
Abstract:
Vitamin A (retinol reacts extremely rapidly (k = 1.4 x 10(9) M-1 s-1) with thiyl free radicals derived from glutathione to form a free radical with a very strong visible absorption (lambda max. = 380 nm, E max. = 4.0 x 10(4) M-1 cm-1). Arachidonate, linolenate, linoleate and ascorbate also react readily but much more slowly (k = 2.2 x 10(7), 1.9 x 10(7), 1.3 x 10(7) and 3.6 x 10(8) M-1 s-1 respectively). These results support the possibility that vitamin A might play a role in protecting lipid membranes against thiyl free radical mediated damage.
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