Animals ; Ascorbic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Myocarditis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; virology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; therapeutic use ; Survival Rate

Vitamins are essential micronutrients for maintenance of tissue functions. Vitamin deficiency is one of the most serious and common health problems among both chronic alcoholics and the homeless. However, the vitamin-level statuses of such people have been little studied. We evaluated the actual vitamin statuses of alcoholic homeless patients who visited an emergency department (ED). In this study the blood levels of vitamins B1, B12, B6, and C of 217 alcoholic homeless patients were evaluated retrospectively in a single urban teaching hospital ED. Vitamin C deficiency was observed in 84.3% of the patients. The vitamin B1, B12, and B6 deficiency rates, meanwhile, were 2.3%, 2.3%, and 23.5%, respectively. Comparing the admitted patients with those who were discharged, only the vitamin C level was lower. (P=0.003) In fact, the patients' vitamin C levels were markedly diminished, vitamin C replacement therapy for homeless patients should be considered in EDs.
Adult ; Alcoholic Intoxication/*complications ; Ascorbic Acid/blood/therapeutic use ; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency/*complications/drug therapy/epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; *Homeless Persons ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitamin B Complex/blood

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible protection provided by oral quercetin pretreatment against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODSThe quercetin (0.13 mmol/kg) was orally administrated in 50 min prior to hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Ascorbic acid was also similarly administered. The hepatic content of quercetin was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Plasma glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration were measured as markers of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Meanwhile, hepatic content of glutathione (GSH), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and xanthine oxidase (XO), total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA, DNA fragmentation were also determined.

RESULTSHepatic content of quercetin after intragastric administration of quercetin was increased significantly. The increases in plasma GPT, GOT activities and MDA concentration after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury were reduced significantly by pretreatment with quercetin. Hepatic content of GSH and activities of SOD, GSH-Px and TAOC were restored remarkably while the ROS and MDA contents were significantly diminished by quercetin pretreatment after ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, quercetin pretreatment did not reduce significantly hepatic XO activity and DNA fragmentation. Ascorbic acid pretreatment had also protective effects against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury by restoring hepatic content of GSH, TAOC and diminishing ROS and MDA formation and DNA fragmentation.

CONCLUSIONIt is indicated that quercetin can protect the liver against ischemia-reperfusion injury after oral pretreatment and the underlying mechanism is associated with improved hepatic antioxidant capacity.

Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Ascorbic Acid ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Biological Availability ; Biomarkers ; blood ; DNA Fragmentation ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Liver ; blood supply ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Quercetin ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Reperfusion Injury ; blood ; enzymology ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Transaminases ; blood ; Xanthine Oxidase ; metabolism

We describe herein a case of life-threatening hypoglycemia due to spurious elevation of glucose concentration during the administration of ascorbic acid in a type 2 diabetic patient. A 31-year-old female was admitted for proliferative diabetic retinopathy treatment and prescribed high dose ascorbic acid. During hospitalization, she suddenly lost her consciousness and her glucose concentration was 291 mg/dL, measured using self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) device, while venous blood glucose concentration was 12 mg/dL. After intravenous injection of 50% glucose solution, the patient became alert. We reasoned that glucose measurement by SMBG device was interfered by ascorbic acid. Physicians should be aware of this interference; high dose ascorbic acid may cause spurious elevation of glucose concentration when measuring with SMBG devices.
Adult ; Ascorbic Acid/administration & dosage/adverse effects/contraindications/*therapeutic use ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring/instrumentation/standards ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood/drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia/*diagnosis ; Renal Dialysis

This study examined the effects of ascorbic acid on the attenuation of an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury after a canine renal transplantation. Eight beagle dogs were subjected to a renal auto-transplantation followed by the administration of ascorbic acid (treatment group) and the same amount of vehicle (physiological saline, control group). Blood samples were collected from these dogs to perform the kidney function tests and the invasive blood pressure was measured in the renal artery at pre- and post-anastomosis. The antioxidant enzymes of level 72 h after the transplant were measured. The kidneys were taken for a histopathology evaluation at day 21. The kidney function tests showed a significant difference between the control and treatment group. The invasive blood pressure in the renal artery was similar in the groups. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes in the blood plasma was significant lower in the control group than in the treatment group. The histopathology findings revealed the treatment group to have less damage than the control group. The results of this study suggest that ascorbic acid alone might play a role in attenuating I/R injury and assist in the recovery of the renal function in a renal transplantation model.
Animals ; Ascorbic Acid/*therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Catalase/blood ; Creatinine/blood ; Dog Diseases/blood/*drug therapy/pathology ; Dogs/*surgery ; Female ; Free Radical Scavengers/therapeutic use ; Glutathione Peroxidase/blood ; Histocytochemistry/veterinary ; Kidney Transplantation/pathology/*veterinary ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Reperfusion Injury/blood/drug therapy/pathology/*veterinary ; Superoxide Dismutase/blood

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of vitamin C and E on blood lead (Pb) levels and SOD, GSH-Px, NOS activity and NO, MDA content in hippocampus of rats with lead poisoning.

METHODSRat lead poisoning model was established by oral administration of 0.615 mmol/L lead acetate in drinking water for 4 weeks; and animals were fed with vitamin C 100 mg/kg. bw and/or vitamin E 100 mg/kg. bw for 1 week. Then blood Pb levels and SOD, GSH-Px, NOS activity and MDA, NO contents in hippocampus of rats were determined by corresponding kits.

RESULTCompared with control group, blood Pb level was decreased significantly (P<0.05) after given vitamin C, vitamin E or combination of vitamin C and E. The concentrations of SOD, GSH-Px, NO and NOS were significantly higher in vitamin C and/or E groups than those in control group (P<0.05). The concentration of MDA in vitamin treatment groups was significantly lower than that in lead control group (P<0.05); furthermore concentration of MDA in combination of vitamin C and E group was significantly higher than that in vitamin C alone group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONAdministration of vitamin C and E can decrease blood lead level, alleviate damage of lipid peroxidation in hippocampus by lead toxicity and reverse NO, NOS levels in rats with lead poisoning.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ascorbic Acid ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Lead ; blood ; Lead Poisoning ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Vitamin E ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

Scurvy is very rare disease in industrialized societies. Nevertheless, it still exists in higher risk groups including economically disadvantaged populations with poor nutrition, such as the elderly and chronic alcoholics. The incidence of scurvy in the pediatric population is very low. This study reports a case of scurvy in a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and developmental delay based on MRI findings.
Ascorbic Acid/blood/therapeutic use ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/etiology ; Cerebral Palsy/complications ; Child, Preschool ; Cholecalciferol/blood ; Developmental Disabilities/complications ; Drainage ; Female ; Femur/pathology/radionuclide imaging/surgery ; Fever/etiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma/diagnosis/etiology/surgery ; Humans ; Knee/radiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Muscle Weakness/etiology ; Rare Diseases ; Scurvy/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Thigh/pathology ; Vitamins/therapeutic use

The effects of vitamin C on ketamine anesthesia was studied. In normal rabbits the onset and duration of ketamine induced anesthesia were 6.0+/-0.5 and 36.0+/-0.9 min, respectively. Pre-treatment of rabbits with 30, 60 and 240 mg/kg, i.m. of vitamin C followed by ketamine 40 mg/ kg i.m. resulted in significant (p<0.05)decrease in the onset and increase in duration of ketamine anesthesia to 5.0 +/-0.06 and 37.0+/-0.7;4.0 +/-0.5 and 39.0*0.6;2.0+/-2.3 and 44.0+/-0.8 min, respectively. There was also significant (p<0.05)decrease in the heart rates in the animals treated with vitamin C and ketamine combinations. Serum analysis showed a significant (p<0.05)increase in blood glucose. The observed decreased in serum calcium and phosphorous following ketamine injection was prevented by pretreatment with vitamin C. These results suggest that vitamin C at higher doses could potentiate ketamine anesthesia in rabbits.
Anesthesia/*veterinary ; Anesthesia, General/*veterinary ; *Anesthetics, Dissociative ; Animals ; Ascorbic Acid/*therapeutic use ; Bicarbonates/blood ; Blood Glucose/drug effects ; Body Temperature/drug effects ; Calcium/blood ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Heart Rate/drug effects ; *Ketamine ; Male ; Oxygen/blood ; Premedication/*veterinary ; *Rabbits ; Respiration/drug effects