The effect of vitamin C on in vivo lipid peroxidation in guinea pigs as measured by pentane and ethane production.

Measurements of pentane and ethane as indices of in vivo lipid peroxidation were made on samples of breath from vitamin C-sufficient and vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs injected with 23 microliters carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)/100 g body wt. Vitamin C-deficient animals produced significantly more pentane and ethane after CCl4 treatment than did vitamin C-sufficient guinea pigs. Pretreatment of vitamin C-deficient animals with 75 mg ascorbic acid/100 g body wt significantly lowered both pentane and ethane evolution. Protection against in vivo lipid peroxidation similar to that provided by ascorbic acid was also found when vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs were pretreated with isoascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene. When animals were pretreated with the radical scavenger mannitol, a protective effect was also observed as measured by pentane evolution.