Ascorbic acid: much more than just an antioxidant.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid (AA)) is very popular for its antioxidant properties. Consequently, many other important aspects of this multifaceted molecule are often underestimated or even ignored. In the present paper, we have tried to bring to the foreground some of these aspects, including the peculiarities of the AA biosynthetic pathway in different organisms, the remarkable function of AA as a co-substrate of many important dioxygenases, the role of AA-regenerating enzymes and the known pathways of AA catabolism, as well as the intriguing function of AA in gene expression.
Arrigoni
Oreste
O
Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Vegetale, Università di Bari, via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy. arrigoni@botanica.uniba.it
De Tullio
Mario C
MC
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005609:Free Radicals; D006801:Humans; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010944:Plants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
D000975:Antioxidants; D005609:Free Radicals; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D001205:Ascorbic Acid