Net vitamin C activity of erythorbic acid in guinea pigs

The enzyme activities, which are influenced by the vitamin C level in tissues, were measured to evaluate the vitamin C activity of erythorbic acid (ErA) in guinea pigs administered ErA. Guinea pigs were divided into two groups: animals in one group (control group) were administered 1, 5, and 100 mg/day ascorbic acid (AsA) and those in the other group (supplemented group) were administered 1, 5, 20, and 100 mg/day ErA for 16 days. At the end of the experimental period, they were sacrificed, blood was collected, and their livers were removed. The activities of liver aniline hydroxylase, of liver acid phosphatase, and of serum alkaline phosphatase, and the content of liver cytochrome P-450 were assayed. The activities of aniline hydroxylase and serum alkaline phosphatase and the content of liver cytochrome P-450 of the guinea pigs administered 1 mg ErA were lower than those of the guinea pigs administered 1 mg AsA. However, the enzyme activities and liver cytochrome P-450 content in the guinea pigs administered 5 mg or more of ErA were similar in level to those in the guinea pigs administered 5 mg AsA. These results suggested that administration of a considerably high amount of ErA to guinea pigs showed a similar vitamin C activity to that of AsA, which might suggest that vitamin C activity of ErA may be more than one-twentieth that of AsA, as has been generally believed.