How do you SEE?

Have you ever heard the phrase: "Eat carrots! it`s good for your vision" ?
well actually this phrase, believe it or not, it`s kind of true and scientists
have prove as well the benefits of the components of this kind of vegetable.

Since Pasteur´s discovery of optic isomery, a serious amount of research has been done in this field of organic chemistry; specifically in the area of Isomeric Geometry, which studies how 2 molecules, or more, of the same organic compound can present themselves in different structures so that they have different properties despite having the same basic elements on them. You may be thinking what does the order of the molecules affect their function, they should work the same, don`t they?

Guess what Isomeric geometry is extremely important in the biological processes, especially at vision matters.

Talking in chemical matters what happens is that the eye cells called "canes" from the retina contain a protein named Opsine, this get    combined with the organic retinal molecules to form a complex know as "Rodopsine". The retinal has 5 double bounds. One is inside a bencene ring and 4 are outside. From the 4 doubled bondings that are in the carbon chain joined to the Ring Number 3 are permanently TRANS;
while one double bounding can suffer from a a isomeric reversible transformation from CIS to TRANS.

 

Retinal can be produced in our body from betha-carothene, which is a yellowish natural pigment. This can be found in a variety of vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes. Betha-carothene molecule gets cut from the half by enzimes to form Retinol, also known as Vitamin A.  Retinol oxidates to form retinal and then combines with opsine.

 

By making this reaction light and images can be processed in the brain with the definition required.

Deficiency of Vitamin A in the organism may cause not only a poor vision quality, but also dry mucous membrane and skin damage. The lack of this component in unborn babies may lead to mental retardation and in adults it can go from night blindness.Also the excess of this betha -carothene vitamin is bad for the human body; the liver keeps it in the fat tissues and can be toxic when going into the blood stream.

 

 

So as you can SEE organic chemistry and Pasteur`s discoveries about  isomeric geometry are now just a common topic in everybody`s life! 

  

By: Rosario del Carmen Flores Vallejo