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. 2012 Feb;12(1):18-26.
doi: 10.4110/in.2012.12.1.18. Epub 2012 Feb 29.

The analysis of vitamin C concentration in organs of gulo(-/-) mice upon vitamin C withdrawal

Hyemin Kim  1 , Seyeon Bae, Yeonsil Yu, Yejin Kim, Hang-Rae Kim, Young-Il Hwang, Jae Seung Kang, Wang Jae Lee
Affiliations

The analysis of vitamin C concentration in organs of gulo(-/-) mice upon vitamin C withdrawal

Hyemin Kim et al. Immune Netw. 2012 Feb.

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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Gulo-/- mice; In vivo kinetics; Vitamin C insufficiency.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Loss of weight and decrease of plasma vitamin C concentration in Gulo-/- mice upon vitamin C withdrawal. (A) Phenotype of wild-type (WT) and Gulo-/- mice (KO) with vitamin C withdrawal for 5 weeks. (B) Changes of body weight upon vitamin C withdrawal were followed for 5 weeks (n=10). (C) The concentration of vitamin C of WT and Gulo-/- mice in plasma (n=4~10). ***p<0.001 vs. vitamin C- supplemented Gulo-/- mice (KO+VC, 3.3 g/L).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The changes of vitamin C concentration in gastrointestinal organs. The concentration of vitamin C of WT and Gulo-/- mice in (A) large intestine, (B) small intestine, (C) stomach and (D) liver (n=4~10). *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p <0.001 vs. vitamin C-supplemented Gulo-/- mice (KO+VC, 3.3 g/L).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The changes of vitamin C concentration in brain, heart and lung. The concentration of vitamin C of WT and Gulo-/- mice in (A) brain, (B) heart, and (C) lung (n=4~10). **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 vs. vitamin C-supplemented Gulo-/- mice (KO+VC, 3.3 g/L).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The changes of vitamin C concentration in adrenal gland, pancreas, testis and kidney. The concentration of vitamin C of WT and Gulo-/- mice in (A) adrenal gland, (B) pancreas, (C) testis and (D) kidney (n=4~10). **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 vs. vitamin C-supplemented Gulo-/- mice (KO+VC, 3.3 g/L).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The changes of vitamin C concentration in lymph node and spleen, and the structural alteration in spleen. The concentration of vitamin C of WT and Gulo-/- mice in (A) lymph node and (B) spleen (n=4~10). ***p<0.001 vs. vitamin C-supplemented Gulo-/- mice (KO +VC, 3.3 g/L). (C) Splenic tissues from WT, Gulo-/- mice with vitamin C (3.3 g/L) supplementation and Gulo-/- mice with vitamin C withdrawal for 3~5 weeks were stained with H&E (×100). (D) The number of splenocytes and (E) the ratio of CD4 to CD8 T cells upon vitamin C supplementation and withdrawal.
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