Ascorbate in an aqueous solution is easily oxidized by molecular oxygen in the presence of cupric ion, thus producing reactive oxygen species and exhibiting cytotoxicity. In order to increase the antitumor activity of ascorbate, we used the innocuous form of cupric ion complexed with glycylglycylhistidine, a tripeptide designed to mimic the specific Cu(II) transport site of albumin molecule. Al...

An investigation of variables important to calcium stone formation in urine indicated significantly increased daily excretion of calcium and oxalate and decreased excretion of ascorbate and citrate by recurrent calcium stone formers. In addition, urine volume, sodium, mucopolysaccharide, and protein were also significantly increased. We compared the uptake of citrate and ascorbate from the gut ...

The concept that lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a surrogate for ascorbate is suggested by the fact that this lipoprotein is found generally in the blood of primates and the guinea pig, which have lost the ability to synthesize ascorbate, but only rarely in the blood of other animals. Properties of Lp(a) that are shared with ascorbate, in accordance with this hypothesis, are the acceleration of wound...

We evaluated the efficacies of five treatment procedures for eliminating ascorbate interference in the enzymatic determination of urinary oxalate. Aliquots of urine samples, containing different amounts of added ascorbate and oxalate, were individually subjected to ferric chloride, sodium nitrite, sodium periodate, charcoal, or ascorbate oxidase treatment to eliminate ascorbate interference. Ox...

Two wheat cultivars, C306 and PBW343 contrasting in drought tolerance were compared for their antioxidant response and Lea genes' expression under salt stress (SS) and combined stress (CS) of salt stress plus water stress during seedlings growth. The drought susceptible cultivar (PBW343) behaved different towards SS/CS than towards WS. It accumulated more dry masses in shoots, more ascorbate, h...

The stability of iron ascorbate solutions was investigated, under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions, with the Fe2+ and Fe3+ indicators, respectively ferrozine and mimosine, at different pH values. The species present under the differing conditions were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Mössbauer spectroscopy and by gel-filtration chromatography. At physiological pH (...

An attempt was made to unravel further the mechanism by which high dietary concentrations of ascorbic acid influence copper metabolism. The addition of ascorbic acid to the diet of rats caused about a twofold increase in plasma ascorbate concentrations and reduced group mean plasma and tissue concentrations of Cu. The effect of 10 g ascorbic acid/kg diet was greater than that of 1 g/kg. Ascorbi...

UV irradiation is a major insult to the skin. We have shown previously that exogenous vitamin C (ascorbate) accumulates in HaCaT keratinocytes, thus conferring the ability to prevent radical formation and cell death elicited by UV-B. Here, we have investigated the potential mechanisms accounting for the cytoprotective effects exerted by this antioxidant. Using a cDNA microarray hybridization, w...

Ascorbate at concentrations of 60-100 microM inhibits the modification of freshly prepared low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by macrophages. With 'moderately oxidized' LDL (produced by prolonged storage in a refrigerator), however, ascorbate does not inhibit LDL modification by macrophages and actually modifies the LDL itself in the absence of macrophages [Stait and Leake (1994) FEBS Lett. 341, 263...

Low flow postural tachycardia syndrome (LFP) is associated with vasoconstriction, reduced cardiac output, increased plasma angiotensin II, reduced bioavailable nitric oxide (NO), and oxidative stress. We tested whether ascorbate would improve cutaneous NO and reduce vasoconstriction when delivered systemically. We used local cutaneous heating to 42°C and laser Doppler flowmetry to assess NO-dep...