PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C R Yavarow

Publications and source records attributed to C R Yavarow.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Enzymatic basis for altered ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid levels in diabetes.

Abnormal plasma ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) levels observed in diabetes may be correlated to a deficiency in the recycling of AA. Ascorbic acid and DHAA levels are altered in diabetic liver in the present study. In addition, a coupling of the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt by way of NADPH to glutathione reductase and subsequent DHAA reduction is demonstrated. Ascorbic acid production was assayed directly and by way of the HMPS pathway. Results indicate that AA production from DHAA via the HMPS pathway occurs, and is significantly decreased in diabetic liver. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity is shown to be decreased in diabetic liver. Since G6PDH is essential in providing NADPH for the reduction of glutathione required for subsequent DHAA reduction, its decreased activity is consistent with altered levels of AA and DHAA observed in diabetic tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Ascorbic acid regeneration by bovine iris-ciliary body.

Ocular tissues appear to require high levels of ascorbic acid and the elucidation of the mechanisms by which those tissues maintain the vitamin in its reduced state remains an important objective. The regeneration of ascorbate from its oxidative by-product, dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), was studied in bovine iris-ciliary body. Iris-ciliary body was removed by scalpel, weighed, minced, and homogenized in 20 mM MOPS, 62 mM sucrose, and 0.1 mM EDTA at pH 7.0. The homogenate was centrifuged and precipitated with ammonium sulfate such that maximal DHAA reducing activity was enhanced in a 50-75% ammonium sulfate fraction. This fraction was employed for subsequent characterization of DHAA reduction by iris-ciliary body. Results indicate that the iris-ciliary body enzymatically reduces DHAA to ascorbate at a rate significantly greater than can be accounted for by a nonenzymatic glutathione-dependent mechanism. In addition, saturation kinetics are observed, and the enzymatic activity is dependent on protein concentration, DHAA concentration, and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration. The activity is sensitive to pH, to high temperature, and to digestion by trypsin and is greatest in the presence of both GSH and NADPH. The reducing activity is therefore attributed to one or more proteins that are distinct from the known ascorbate regenerating enzyme, GSH-dependent DHAA reductase (EC 1.8.5.1).

Animals↗