title: The analysis of vitamin C concentration in organs of gulo(-/-) mice upon vitamin C withdrawal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for maintaining human life. Vitamin C insufficiency in the plasma is closely related with the development of scurvy. However, in vivo kinetics of vitamin C regarding its storage and consumption is still largely unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used Gulo(-/-) mice, which cannot synthesize vitamin C like human. Vitamin C level in plasma and organs from Gulo(-/-) mice was examined, and it compared with the level of wild-type mice during 5 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The significant weight loss of Gulo(-/-) mice was shown at 3 weeks after vitamin C withdrawal. However, there was no differences between wild-type and vitamin C-supplemented Gulo(-/-) mice (3.3 g/L in drinking water). The concentration of vitamin C in plasma and organs was significantly decreased at 1 week after vitamin C withdrawal. Vitamin C is preferentially deposited in adrenal gland, lymph node, lung, and brain. There were no significant changes in the numbers and CD4/CD8 ratio of splenocytes in Gulo(-/-) mice with vitamin C withdrawal for 4 weeks. And the architecture of spleen in Gulo(-/-) mice was disrupted at 5 weeks after vitamin C withdrawal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vitamin C level of Gulo(-/-) mice was considerably decreased from 1 week after vitamin C withdrawal. Vitamin C is preferentially stored in some organs such as brain, adrenal gland and lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyemin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seyeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Yeonsil
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yejin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hang-Rae
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young-Il
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jae Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Wang Jae
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee