The effect of ascorbic acid on a proliferating cell system

Ascorbic acid, alone and in combination with copper sulphate, was injected into the sub-blastodermal space in the early chick embryo at 17 hours of incubation. There was a marked stunting of the embryonal axis. The absence of interphase cells indicate that ascorbic acid is lethal to the resting cell and results in a reversal of differentiation. Copper counteracts the effect of ascorbic acid and protects the blastoderm when given before ascorbic acid. A parallel action in neoplasia is of importance in the therapeutic use of this vitamin.