Levels of minerals in serum and urine of guinea pigs following intraperitoneal administration of ascorbate.

The effect of ascorbic acid administration on the levels of urinary and serum mineral nutrients, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Zn in guinea pigs has been studied. Male guinea pigs received sodium ascorbate solution (equivalent to 1 g ascorbic acid/kg body weight/day) by intraperitoneal injection for 4 weeks. During the ascorbic acid treatment period, serum and urinary ascorbic acid rose markedly. The large quantities of ascorbic acid intake did not influence serum levels of all eight minerals studied when experimental values were compared with controls using the two-tailed Student's t-test. However, when the one-tailed t-test was used, serum copper and zinc levels of the experimental guinea pigs were significantly lower than their respective control values. Excepting sodium, derived from injected sodium ascorbate, no differences in daily urinary excretion of the other seven minerals were observed.