title: Influence of age on the kinetics of vitamin C catabolism in guinea-pigs.
abstract: Pharmacokinetic analysis methods were used to evaluate the course of vitamin C catabolism in male guinea-pigs aged 3-5 weeks (weighting 255 g) and five months (weighing 570 g) given a diet containing no vitamin C. The vitamin C content of most of the organs and tissues of the younger experimental animals was depleted significantly more rapidly than in the older guinea pigs. At the same time, the half-time ascorbate elimination values were lower in the younger animals, in all the tissues analysed. As distinct from the older animals, vitamin C catabolism in the younger guinea-pigs had a biphasic character -- an extremely fast phase from the 1st to the 3rd day and a slower phase, comparable to the rate in older animals, from the 4th to the 17th day of administration of the scorbutogenic diet. The findings indicate that ascorbate metabolism in young organisms has specific characteristics, which ought to be taken into account when assessing and specifying the vitamin C requirements of the youngest section of the human population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Plzen.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zloch
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ginter
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006168:Guinea Pigs / Q000378:metabolism*; D006207:Half-Life; D008297:Male; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D001205:Ascorbic Acid