Ascorbic acid analog in experimental leukemia.

Nichel and Welch (9, 10), Broquisl et al. (1), Hill and Scott (6), and Welch et al. (16) found that ascorbic acid, a reducing agent, enhanced the for mation of citrovorum factor (CF) from folie acid (PGA). Nichel and Welch (9, 10), indicated that glucoascorbate augments the enzymic conversion of PGA to CF by liver tissue in vitro, while Welch et al. (16), administering glucoascorbate parenterally to rats, disclosed that the analog is as active as ascorbic acid in this respect. Sokoloff et al. (14) found that a Sherman-LaMer diet, supplemented with 1 or 2 per cent of D-glucoascorbic acid, did not produce any apparent toxic effect on rats and mice but lowered the ascorbic acid concentrations of the blood plasma and certain tissues to nearly zero in 15-20 days and decreased the urinary excretion of the citrovorum factor in rats. The present investigation concerns the effect of continuous administration of nontoxic doses, 0.75 and 1 per cent, of o-glucoascorbic acid on acute transplanted lymphocytic leukemia and spon taneous lymphocytic leukemia in mice.