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L-ascorbic acid, L-ascorbate 2-sulfate, and atherogenesis.

Rabbits on a high cholesterol diet were divided into three groups: one group received subcutaneous injections of physiological saline 3 times/day, 5 days/wk for 10 wk; another group received subcutaneous injections of L-ascorbic acid (0.37 mmole) according to the same timetable; and the third group was administered an equivalent amount of L-ascorbate 2-sulfate as outlined above. Each week the serum levels of total and free cholesterol and triglycerides were measured. At the end of 10 wk the animals were killed and the cholesterol content of the livers, spleens, and adrenal glands was measured. The aortas were examined for plaque deposition; the deposits were excised and pooled according to groups; and the total mass and cholesterol contents of the pooled plaques were determined. Administration of ascorbic acid or ascorbate 2-sulfate did not prevent hypercholesterolemia or elevated levels of serum triglycerides. No significant differences among the groups were found either in tissue cholesterol levels or in the extent or type of lesions found. Although plaque deposition appeared to be similar in the aortas of these animals, a marked difference was found in total mass and cholesterol content of the plaques: The plaques of the saline-treated group had a total mass and cholesterol content approximately 2.5 times that found in the group injected with ascorbic acid and about 1.5 times that found in the animals treated with ascorbate 2-sulfate. These results indicate that ascorbic acid, in particular, minimizes the total quantity of plaque deposition even though it is ineffective in preventing hypercholesterolemia, elevated serum triglycerides, and accumulation of cholesterol by several tissues.

Adrenal Glands

Enzymatic formation of ascorbic acid in liver homogenate of mice fed dietary ascorbic acid.

The effect of exogenous ascorbic acid intake on enzymatic formation of ascorbic acid in mice has been studied. After the mice were on diets containing ascorbic acid for two months, the rates of ascorbic acid formation in mouse liver homogenates were measured in vitro using glucuronolactone and gulonolactone as substrate in their respective reaction systems. Exogenous ascorbic acid intake (1, 5 or 8% in the diet) was able to reduce activities of ascorbic acid synthesizing enzymes in mouse liver in either the glucuronolactone or gulonolactone system. The control mechanism for reaction of glucuronolactone to produce ascorbic acid is not stereospecific because large amounts of dietary erythorbic acid, a stereoisomer of ascorbic acid, could also reduce the rate of ascorbic acid formation when glucuronolactone was used as substrate. However, the regulation of ascorbic acid synthesis using gulonolactone as a precursor was apparently stereospecific. Dietary glucose or xylitol had no effect on activities of ascorbic acid synthesizing enzymes.

Animals

Effects of ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate on cyclic nucleotide metabolism in human lymphocytes.

L-ascorbic acid (LAA) augmented cGMP many-fold in highly purified human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The cGMP response occurred within 10 sec and persisted for at least 60 min. D-ascorbic acid (DAA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) were also equally active in enhancing cGMP concentrations but metabolic precursors of ascorbic acid and other inorganic acids did not increase cGMP levels. Determination of the amount of DHAA contaminating the LAA precluded the possibility that it was solely responsible for the enhanced cGMP levels. The sodium or calcium salts of ascorbic acid did not increase cGMP concentrations. If these neutralized preparations were acidified, increased cGMP concentrations were then noted. In broken cell preparations, LAA, DAA, and DHAA and to a lesser extent sodium ascorbate (NaA) enhanced guanylate cyclase activity while neither inhibited cAMP or cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity. The possible role of H2O2, fatty acid liberation, prostaglandin production, oxidizing-reducing agents, and free radical formation in mediating the effects of ascorbic acid on cGMP levels were evaluated, but none of these potential mechanisms were definitively proven to be a required intermediary for the cGMP enhancing activity of ascorbic acid. LAA, DHAA or NaA did not induce lymphocyte transformation or modulate lectin-induced mitogenesis.

2',3'-Cyclic-Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases

Hyaluronic acid degradation by ascorbic acid and influence of iron.

The effects of ascorbic acid, iron and ADP on hyaluronic acid, a compound present in inflamed joints, were investigated in an in vitro system. Ascorbic acid induces degradation of hyaluronic acid which increased in the presence of FeCl3 and which is additionally stimulated by ADP chelated ferric ions. The hyaluronic acid degrading reactions induced by the Fe-III/ADP/ascorbic acid system were inhibited by catalase and formate to various extents whereas the presence of superoxide dismutase did not exert any inhibitory effect. Desferrioxamine, a specific iron chelator, completely inhibited hyaluronic acid depolymerisation by ascorbic acid as well as in combination with FeCl3 or FeCl3/ADP, respectively. We suggest that the ultimate hyaluronic acid degrading species is OH, generated via the Fe-III/ADP catalysed Haber Weiss reaction. There is also an indication for the involvement of perferryl or/and ferryl species in the degradation process.

Adenosine Diphosphate

The effect of synovial fluid proteins in the degradation of hyaluronic acid induced by ascorbic acid.

The degradation of hyaluronic acid induced by ascorbic acid and the effect of synovial fluid proteins, such as ceruloplasmin, transferrin, and albumin, were investigated on the basis of the elution volume and the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid using high-performance gel permeation chromatography. Hyaluronic acid was degraded to less than one-third of the original molecular weight in the range of the physiological concentrations of ascorbic acid. Synovial fluid proteins protected against the ascorbate-dependent degradation of hyaluronic acid at their physiological concentrations. It is suggested that the inhibitory activity of ceruloplasmin mainly depends on the ferroxidase activity and that of transferrin is probably due to iron binding property.

Albumins

Effect of oral administration of large quantities of ascorbic acid on blood levels and urinary excretion of ascorbic acid in healthy men.

The influence of the daily ingestion of 1, 2, 3, and 5 grams of ascorbic acid on whole blood and plasma ascorbic acid levels and on the urinary excretion of ascorbic acid has been investigated. The ingestion of one gram of ascorbic acid per day for one week significantly increases plasma and whole blood levels over presupplementation levels, but larger amounts of ascorbic acid do not further increase plasma and whole blood ascorbic acid levels. Urinary excretion increases with intake, up to intakes of 3 grams per day but does not increase further when 5 grams of ascorbic acid is ingested per day. Upon discontinuing ascorbic acid supplementation the plasma and whole blood levels decline rapidly and the urinary excretion of ascorbic acid falls to presupplementation values within a few days. The results suggest that there is need for a detailed study of the routes of excretion of ascorbic acid at high levels of intake and that the safety of ingesting large quantities of ascorbic acid may be questioned.

Adult

Urinary ascorbic acid levels following the withdrawal of large doses of ascorbic acid in guinea pigs.

Male guinea pigs received sodium ascorbate solution [equivalent to 1 g ascorbic acid/(kg body weight.d)] by intraperitoneal injection for 4 wk. During the ascorbic acid treatment period, plasma and urinary ascorbic acid levels rose markedly. Three weeks after the ascorbic acid treatment was withdrawn, mean urinary ascorbic acid levels were significantly lower than their corresponding basal levels. At both 2 and 5 wk after withdrawal of ascorbic acid treatment, mean plasma ascorbic acid levels were below normal. The results indicate that these animals had experienced a transient withdrawal effect after administration of large doses of ascorbic acid that lasted about 1 wk. This, in turn, indicates that the rate of ascorbic acid turnover was probably increased during treatment, and this effect persisted even after the ascorbic acid was withdrawn. Examination of data from each individual experimental animal revealed that the pattern of urinary ascorbic acid excretion after the withdrawal of large doses of ascorbic acid varied from animal to animal. Among the twelve experimental guinea pigs, seven had abnormally low urinary ascorbic acid levels 2-4 wk after the withdrawal of the large doses of ascorbic acid.

Animals

The effect of ascorbic acid on uric acid excretion with a commentary on the renal handling of ascorbic acid.

Under spontaneous conditions in man and dog, very little ascorbic acid is excreted in urine. Ascorbic acid clearance (C ascorbic acid) is promptly augmented when plasma ascorbic acid is increased by intravenous injection. No net tubular secretion of ascorbic acid is demonstrable in either man or dog when plasma ascorbic acid is elevated to levels as high as 12 mg/100 ml in man, and 28 mg/100 ml in the dog. Nevertheless, both in men and the Dalmatian dog, when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is decreased, excreted ascorbic acid in relation to the amount filtered is exaggerated so that C ascorbic acid:GFR approaches unity. It is possible that secreted ascorbic acid is masked under ordinary circumstances, with a more significant contribution of secreted ascorbic acid to total urinary ascorbic acid becoming apparent under conditions of low GFR. In man, when the plasma ascorbic acid level is raised to above 6 mg/100 ml, C urate:GFR rises from control value of 0.081 +/- 0.020, to 0.116 +/- 0.026. In both mongrel and Dalmatian dogs an effect of ascorbic acid on urate excretion is not conclusively shown. The uricosuric effect of ascorbic acid in man may be due to competition with uric acid for renal tubular reabsorptive transport. The difference in the metabolism of ascorbic acid in the dog as compared to man may help account for the inconsistent effect of ascorbic acid on uric acid excretion in the dog.

Aged

The absorption of iron, with or without supplements of single amino acids and of ascorbic acid, in healthy and Fe-deficient children.

1. Studies were done on the effect of ascorbic acid and five amino acids (histidine, cystine, cysteine, valine and glutamic acid) on intestinal iron absorption in a group of ninety Egyptian infants and young children, of which fifty-seven were healthy controls and thirty-three were suffering from Fe-deficiency anaemia. 2. Supplements tested promoted Fe absorption in healthy controls in the following order: valine larger than histidine larger than ascorbic acid. Cysteine, glutamic acid and cystine were found to have no significant effect. 3. Supplementation with valine, ascorbic acid and histidine also increased intestinal Fe absorption in anaemic subjects, but to a lesser extent than in controls. 4. Supplementation of haematinic therapy with these compounds is recommended. Their use is also suggested to improve the availability of the Fe content of everday diets.

Amino Acids