The tissue distribution of L-ascorbic acid and dehydro-L-ascorbic acid in the guinea pigs injected intravenously with dehydro-L-ascorbic acid.

The tissue distribution of L-ascorbic acid (AsA) and dehydro-L-ascorbic acid (DAsA) in guinea pigs injected with DAsA intravenously was examined using high-performance liquid chromatography. DAsA injected into guinea pigs fed normal diets containing AsA (control group) was readily taken into erythrocytes, and AsA contents of plasma and other tissues rapidly increased after DAsA injection. In animals fed vitamin C-deficient diets, DAsA was also detected in erythrocytes; however, the increase of AsA in their tissues was considerably less than that of control group. From these results, it was suggested that utilization of DAsA as AsA in vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs was less than that of control animals, and the reduction mechanism of DAsA to AsA in vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs may have differed from that of control groups.