What is the mechanism of action for ascorbic acid?
Mechanism of Action The site for absorption is the distal small intestine and is regulated by renal excretion. Usual dietary doses of up to 100 mg/day are almost completely absorbed. The highest ascorbic acid concentrations are in the pituitary gland, the adrenal gland, the brain, leukocytes, and the eyes.
What does ascorbic acid oxidase do?
Ascorbate oxidase is a copper-containing enzyme found in melons, seeds, cereals, and fruits and vegetables. It can oxidize ascorbic acid to produce water and dehydroascorbic acid. Compared with non-enzymatic oxidation, ascorbic acid oxidase acts to generate water, while the former generates hydrogen peroxide.
What are the effects of ascorbic acid?
In some people, vitamin C might cause side effects such as stomach cramps, nausea, heartburn, and headache. The chance of getting these side effects increases with higher doses. Taking more than 2000 mg daily is possibly unsafe and may cause kidney stones and severe diarrhea.
What are the physiological functions of vitamin C?
Vitamin C is involved in the physiology of the nervous system, including the support and the structure of the neurons, the processes of differentiation, maturation, and neuronal survival; the synthesis of catecholamine, and the modulation of neurotransmission.
Why is ascorbic acid a reducing agent?
The ascorbate ion is the predominant species at typical biological pH values. It is a mild reducing agent and antioxidant. It is oxidized with loss of one electron to form a radical cation and then with loss of a second electron to form dehydroascorbic acid.
What enzyme is oxidized in the absence of vitamin C?
Ascorbic Acid/Vitamin C Deficiency Primates lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid/vitamin C due to absence of the enzyme L-gulono-γ-lactone oxidase.
Is ascorbic acid oxidase an enzyme?
copper-containing enzymes; examples are (1) ascorbic acid oxidase (an oxidase is an oxidizing enzyme), which contains eight atoms of copper per molecule; it is widely distributed in plants and microorganisms; (2) cytochrome oxidase, which contains heme and copper in a 1:1 ratio; (3) tyrosinases, which catalyze the …
How does vitamin C prevent oxidative stress?
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant found in the cytosol and extracellular fluid that can interact directly with free radicals, thus preventing oxidative damage .
Does ascorbic acid thin the blood?
In recent follow-up studies, no effect was found with doses of vitamin C up to 1,000 mg per day. However, if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin C or any other supplement.
Does ascorbic acid affect the nervous system?
Is ascorbic acid is reducing agent or oxidizing agent?
reducing agent
Ascorbic acid is a good reducing agent and facilitates many metabolic reactions and repair processes.
What are the two enzymes involved in the synthesis of ascorbic acid from Gulonic acid?
Ascorbic Acid/Vitamin C Deficiency Primates lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid/vitamin C due to absence of the enzyme L-gulono-γ-lactone oxidase. Ascorbic acid is a cofactor required for the function of several hydroxylases.
How does ascorbic acid act as a reducing agent?
As being a reducing substance and an electron donor, during free radical scavenging, vitamin C donates high-energy electrons to neutralize free radicals, and it is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid.
How is ascorbic acid metabolized?
Ascorbic acid is metabolized in the liver, and to some extent in the kidney, in a series of reactions. The principal pathway of ascorbic acid metabolism involves the loss of two electrons (5- 7).