Human dermal fibroblasts in monolayer tissue culture. Effect of ascorbic acid analogues.

Abstract

Abstract The effect of some ascorbic acid analogues and two other reducing substances on collagen synthesis, as well as on cell growth and acid mucopolysaccharide production, was studied in monolayer tissue culture of human dermal fibroblasts. d-isoascorbic acid was as effective as l-ascorbic acid in promoting collagen synthesis if the comparison was made at relatively high concentrations such as 200 μg per milliliter of culture medium. Dehydroascorbic acid was ineffective when it was added alone, but was effective when added with cysteine, although inferior to equivalent amounts of ascorbic acid. Neither cysteine nor hydroquinone affected hydroxyproline synthesis. Cysteine seemed to have a sparing effect when it was added with ascorbic acid. It is suggested that the active site of ascorbic acid in hydroxyproline synthesis is its hydroxyradical or radicals and that there is a relative lack of stereospecificity for this vitamin.