Ascorbic Acid and Immunity

[摘要] 1. 1. Contrary to the reports of Ecker and his workers, we have found that the intravenous injection of crystalline ascorbic acid into adults with a low serum vitamin C level produced no change in the titer of complement.2. 2. The in vitro addition of reduced ascorbic acid to deficient serum failed to result in an increase in complement activity.3. 3. Serum ascorbic acid was oxidized without affecting the titer of complement. The activity of complement was inhibited or abolished with but slight change in the concentration of ascorbic acid.4. 4. On the basis of the present study, it is doubtful that the in vitro activity of human complement is related to the presence of reduced ascorbic acid. The conclusions of Ecker and his associates that “the complementing activity of the serum of scorbutic guinea pigs and of men may be used as a biological index of the vitamin C deficiency” are open to considerable question.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）