title: Ascorbate as a substrate for glycolysis or gluconeogenesis: evidence for an interorgan ascorbate cycle.
abstract: Ascorbate catabolism was investigated in murine and human cells unable to synthesize ascorbate due to the missing gulonolactone oxidase activity. In HepG2 cells the addition of ascorbate or dehydroascorbate resulted in high glucose production, while human erythrocytes, MCF7 cells and the cellular elements of the murine blood were able to metabolize ascorbate or dehydroascorbate to lactate. The oxidative agent menadione stimulated, while the transketolase inhibitor oxythiamine inhibited, the metabolism of dehydroascorbate in each of these three cell types. Our results suggest that ascorbate breakdown through the pentose phosphate pathway can reach the glycolytic/gluconeogenic route in different cells. In ascorbate synthesizing species the ascorbate-lactate route in peripheral cells may form a catabolic branch of an interorgan ascorbate cycle, where hepatocytes are responsible for ascorbate synthesis. The catabolic part of this cycle using exogenous ascorbate could be demonstrated even in humans cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Chemistry, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puskás
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Csala
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mészáros
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mandl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bánhegyi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010119:Oxythiamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014174:Transketolase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014812:Vitamin K; D010119:Oxythiamine; D019344:Lactic Acid; D014174:Transketolase; D005947:Glucose; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid