Change in the Level of Vitamin C and Lipid Peroxidation in Tissues of the Inherently Scorbutic Rat during Ascorbate Deficiency

Abstract

To investigate an accurate profile of vitamin C deficiency, ascorbate deficiency was caused in the inherently scorbutic rat [Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi (ODS)], and changes in the level of the vitamin in 12 tissues of the animals (plasma, liver, stomach, small and large intestines, lung, heart, kidney, adrenal gland, spleen, muscle, and brain) were followed based on the specific method (Kishida et al. Anal. Chem. 1992, 64, 1505-1507). The level of ascorbate in plasma decreased most rapidly, and the rate of decline of the vitamin was the slowest in the brain among the 12 tissues. Based on the kinetic profile of ascorbate decay, these tissues were classified into four groups. After 25 days of ascorbate deficiency, indicators of oxidative stress changed significantly compared with the control group. The indices included increased lipid hydroperoxide level determined by the specific method (Tokumaru et al. Anal. Chim. Acta 1995, 307, 97-102) in the brain, elevated thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and glutathione peroxidase activity in the heart, and the fall of glutathione in plasma and the liver.