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Updated: Oct 1, 2026
A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells
Published on: April 11, 2014
Ascorbate inhibits iNOS expression in endotoxin- and IFN gamma-stimulated rat skeletal muscle endothelial cells
Feng Wu1, Karel Tyml, John X Wilson
1Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6A 5C1.
Abstract:
Lipopolysaccharide endotoxin and interferon-gamma induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression and nitrite/nitrate formation in microvascular endothelial cell cultures (ECs) derived from rat skeletal muscle. Pretreatment of ECs with ascorbate accumulated a large amount of ascorbate inside the cells and consequently decreased both intracellular oxidant level and iNOS induction. These effects of ascorbate were abolished in the presence of exogenous superoxide generated by xanthine oxidase/xanthine plus catalase but were not altered when N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester was applied to inhibit nitric oxide synthesis. Ascorbate also attenuated the activation of transcription factor IRF-1 but not NF kappa B. These results indicate that ascorbate inhibits iNOS expression in ECs by an antioxidant mechanism independent of both NF kappa B activation and the reported negative feedback effect of nitric oxide.
