Abstract
It is well established that disturbed connective tissue formation or delayed wound healing found in scorbutic guinea pig which has no ability to synthetize 1-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the body, is easily improved or cured by oral or subcutaneous administration of vitamin C. Recently Gould who has postulated a direct effect of 1-ascorbic acid on the collagen formation by employing the polyvinyl sponge insertion method, pointed out that the direct injection of vitamin C into the granulation formed around the sponge inserted into the skin was more effective in increasing collagen formation of the focus in guinea pigs with scurvy than any other method of vitamin C administration, such as oral, subcutaneous, etc. The mechanism by which vitamin C enhances collagen formation, however, is still poorly understood.It is presently accepted that the sponge method and carrageenin granuloma are useful for the biochemical study of connective tissue formation. Kimoto et al. and Mizuochi examined the chemical properties of connective tissue of experimental rat granuloma induced by sodium alginate in place of carrageenin, since the former is not only easily separated from the surrounding tissues but also a sufficient amount of specimen can be obtained for chemical determination as well as for histological observation.By using Kimot's alginate granuloma the authors examined biochemically and histologically the effect of vitamin C on the connective tissue formation in order to elucidate the role of this vitamin in the animal with and without ability to biosyn thetize 1-ascorbic acid. The present paper involves the chemical results of this study which measured the amount of hydroxyproline which is a specific component of collagen fiber and which increases in parallel with fibers formation, and assayed hexosamine, an indispensable component of mucopolysaccharide which constitutes the intercellular substance of connective tissue. The histrogical results will be published elsewhere.
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