Related Experiment Videos
Ascorbate metabolism in the trained monkey
Summary
Trained monkeys efficiently absorb and excrete vitamin C (ascorbate), with urine as the primary route. Their metabolic pathways closely resemble human vitamin C processing, establishing them as a viable model for human studies.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Metabolism
- Primate Studies
Background:
- Ascorbate (vitamin C) is essential for human health.
- Understanding ascorbate metabolism is crucial for nutritional science.
- Non-human primate models can offer insights into human metabolic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the metabolic fate of radiolabeled ascorbate (14C-1-ascorbate) in trained Macaca fasicularis monkeys.
- To compare ascorbate metabolism in trained monkeys with that in humans.
- To evaluate the suitability of trained monkeys as a model for human ascorbate metabolism studies.
Main Methods:
- Administered 14C-1-ascorbate to trained Macaca fasicularis monkeys.
- Measured 14C levels in expired breath (14CO2), urine, and feces.
- Monitored ascorbate turnover and plasma levels.
- Compared results between trained and untrained monkeys, and with known human data.
Main Results:
- Trained monkeys demonstrated significant absorption of 14C-1-ascorbate.
- Urine was the major route for excretion of ascorbate and its metabolites.
- Less than 2.5% of the administered dose was oxidized to 14CO2 within 24 hours.
- 14CO2 production was unaffected by diet or ascorbate status in trained monkeys but increased in an untrained monkey.
- Metabolic patterns in trained monkeys closely mirrored those observed in humans.
Conclusions:
- Trained Macaca fasicularis monkeys exhibit a metabolic fate of ascorbate similar to humans.
- The trained monkey serves as a suitable animal model for studying human ascorbate metabolism.
- Further research can leverage this model to understand vitamin C dynamics.