Effect of bioflavonoids on the utilization of the vitamin C activity of crystalline L-dehydroascorbic acid
Zloch, Z.
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. Internationale Zeitschrift für Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal International de Vitaminologie et de Nutrition 43(3): 378-386
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9831 PMID: 4749921 Document Number: 63295
For 17 days 48 healthy male guineapigs weighing, on average, 390 g had a scorbutogenic diet devoid of bioflavonoids, then 8 were killed. Of the rest, at regular intervals by mouth during 3 weeks one group had 1 mg ascorbic acid/100 g bodyweight daily and 3 groups had 1.15 mg crystalline dehydroascorbic acid, alone or with 5 mg epicatechin or rutin/100 g daily. Both forms of vitamin and the bioflavonoids were given in 40% sucrose solution. The basal diet was the same throughout. The 8 killed after depletion, during which average loss of bodyweight was 9.5% showed no sign of advanced vitamin deficiency, but amounts of vitamin C in whole blood and in body tissues sampled from internal organs were low. Vitamin C had increased greatly in tissues of all the other groups after 21 days. Total vitamin C in tissues was lowest with ascorbic acid and highest with dehydroascorbic acid given with epicatechin. In liver, adrenal glands and spleen at least 90% of the vitamin C present was in the reduced state, irrespective of the form supplied. It was concluded that rutin and especially epicatechin stimulated reduction of the crystalline dehydroascorbic acid and stabilised the body pool of ascorbic acid.