Tretinoin, also known as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), is a naturally occurring derivative of [vitamin A] (retinol).[A257474] It is an oxidation product in the physiological pathway of vitamin A metabolism.[A257689] In human circulation, tretinoin is normally found at very low concentrations, approximately 4 to 14 nmol/L.[A257689] Tretinoin exhibits anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, antioxidant, and free radical-scavenging activities.[A257689] It has been used in dermatology for many years to treat various skin conditions ranging from acne to wrinkles [A257474,A258185] and activates nuclear receptors to regulate epithelial cell growth and differentiation.[A257474,A257629,A257609] Tretinoin is given orally to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia [L45349] and topically to treat skin conditions such as acne.[L45389,L34869,L45384]
Oral tretinoin is indicated for induction of remission in adults and pediatric patients one year of age and older with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), characterized by the presence of t(15;17) translocation or presence of PML/RARα gene expression and who are refractory to or who have relapsed from anthracycline chemotherapy or for whom anthracycline-based chemotherapy is contraindicated.[L45349] Topical tretinoin is also indicated alone [L45389] or in combination with [benzoyl peroxide] [L34869] or [clindamycin] [L45384] for the treatment of acne vulgaris. It is also used in prescription and over-the-counter for treating various skin conditions such as melasma,[L45394] hyperpigmentation,[A257474] and photoaging [A258180] alone or in combination with other drugs.
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