Vitamin C distribution and retention in the mouse brain

Abstract Vitamin C (VC) is a crucial antioxidant in the brain. To assess whether different brain regions vary in their sensitivity to oxidative stress induced by VC depletion, we used the gulonolactone oxidase (gulo) knockout mouse. This mouse, like humans, cannot synthesize VC and thus its tissue V...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research 2010-08, Vol.1348, p.181-186
Main Authors: Harrison, Fiona E, Green, Roslyn J, Dawes, Sean M, May, James M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Ascorbic Acid - administration & dosage
Ascorbic Acid - metabolism
Ascorbic Acid Deficiency - etiology
Ascorbic Acid Deficiency - pathology
Brain
Brain - metabolism
Disease Models, Animal
Gulo
L-Gulonolactone Oxidase - deficiency
Malondiadehyde
Malondialdehyde - metabolism
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Knockout
Neurology
Oxidative stress
Oxidative Stress - physiology
Statistics, Nonparametric
Tissue Distribution
Vitamin C
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Summary:Abstract Vitamin C (VC) is a crucial antioxidant in the brain. To assess whether different brain regions vary in their sensitivity to oxidative stress induced by VC depletion, we used the gulonolactone oxidase (gulo) knockout mouse. This mouse, like humans, cannot synthesize VC and thus its tissue VC levels can be varied by dietary VC intake. Gulo knockout mice were fed drinking water containing standard (0.33 g/L), low (0.033 g/L) or zero (0 g/L) VC supplementation levels. After 4 weeks, mice were sacrificed and different brain regions removed for assay of VC and malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation. Compared to age-matched wild-type controls, the cerebellum, olfactory bulbs and frontal cortex had the highest VC content, whereas the pons and spinal chord had the lowest. However, in mice that did not receive VC, area differences were no longer significant as all values trended towards zero. Malondialdehyde increased in the cortex as VC supplementation was decreased. The same changes were not observed in the cerebellum or pons, suggesting that cortex is more susceptible to oxidative damage from low VC. These results suggest enhanced susceptibility of the cortex to oxidative stress induced by low VC compared to other brain regions.
ISSN:0006-8993
1872-6240
DOI:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.05.090