A diterpene derived from the carotenoid VITAMIN A which functions as the active component of the visual cycle. It is the prosthetic group of RHODOPSIN (i.e., covalently bonded to ROD OPSIN as 11-cis-retinal). When stimulated by visible light, rhodopsin transforms this cis-isomer of retinal to the trans-isomer (11-trans-retinal). This transformation straightens-out the bend of the retinal molecule and causes a change in the shape of rhodopsin triggering the visual process. A series of energy-requiring enzyme-catalyzed reactions convert the 11-trans-retinal back to the cis-isomer.
Retinaldehyde has been studied across 17 research domains including 👁️ Vision & Eye, ✨ Skin & Hair, ⏳ Longevity & Aging, 🔥 Metabolic, ⚡ Energy & Fatigue. The primary research focus is 👁️ Vision & Eye with 74% of studies addressing this area.
The following compounds share molecular targets with Retinaldehyde, based on binding affinity data from BindingDB and ChEMBL. Sorted by shared target overlap.
This evidence profile for Retinaldehyde is generated deterministically from 300 PubMed-indexed studies. All data is corpus-verified with Merkle proofs. BiohacksAI does not provide medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.
Data source: PubMed/MEDLINE (NLM). Corpus version: current. Patent pending (EVE-PAT-2026-001). © 2026 Organiq Sweden AB.