In vivo isomerization of all-trans- to 11-cis-retinoids in the eye occurs at the alcohol oxidation state.

The vertebrate biochemical pathway for regeneration of visual pigments in the living eye after bleaching is largely uncharacterized. Since isomerization of an all-trans-retinoid to an 11-cis-retinoid could conceivably occur via the aldehyde, alcohol, or ester forms of vitamin A, it is important to determine the oxidation state of the retinoid that is isomerized in vivo. To address this problem, light-adapted rats and frogs were injected intraperitoneally with a mixture of [15-3H]-all-trans-retinol and [15-14C]-all-trans-retinol. After 4 or 24 h of dark adaptation, labeled retinoids in the animal's eyes were analyzed. All rats had the expected 50% loss of 3H label (relative to 14C) in 11-cis-retinal, a loss of 3H that must occur when [15-3H]retinol is oxidized to retinal. 11-cis-Retinyl esters in the rats' eyes at 4 h retained 67% of the 3H label, and this could be increased to 81% when the rats were pretreated with 4-methylpyrazole, an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor known to inhibit dark adaptation. This result demonstrates that retinoid isomerization occurs at the alcohol oxidation state in the rat eye. Had it occurred at the aldehyde oxidation state, at least 50% of the 3H in the 11-cis-retinyl esters would have been lost. The importance of this isomerization pathway is emphasized by the observation that dark-adapting rats whose alcohol dehydrogenase(s) had been inhibited by 4-methylpyrazole had increased amounts of 11-cis-retinyl ester in their eyes relative to control rat eyes, a result that is understandable only if retinoids are isomerized in vivo at the alcohol oxidation state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)