Factors affecting ascorbate oxidation in aqueous humor.

Aqueous humor from human glaucomatous eyes was divided into two groups. Group I aqueous humor contains a negligible amount of ascorbate, while group II contains ascorbate. Group I aqueous humor stimulates ascorbate oxidation. This oxidative effect is inhibited by the addition of EDTA, indicating the presence of metallic ions. The amount of copper determined by atomic spectrophotometry in these samples was 1.54 micrograms/ml. On the contrary, group II aqueous humor protects against ascorbate oxidation. The small amount of albumin present in these samples accounts for part of this protective effect.