Ascorbic acid: cofactor in rabbit olfactory preparations.
A stimulant-induced decrease in absorbance at 267 nanometers in preparations from rabbit olfactory epithelium requires ascorbic acid as a cofactor. Vitamin C is bound to proteins in the olfactory mucosa in vivo. When the stimulant. 3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-3-ol interacts with olfactory proteins, it triggers a change in protein conformation which renders ascorbic acid available for oxidation. The specific decrease in absorbance at 267 nanometers is produced when the "freed" ascorbic acid is oxidized.
D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004848:Epithelium; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009832:Olfactory Nerve; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011485:Protein Binding; D011817:Rabbits; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical / Q000187:drug effects*; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D014020:Tissue Extracts; D001205:Ascorbic Acid