Depletion and repletion of ascorbic acid in the Rhesus monkey: relationship between ascorbic acid concentration in blood components with total body pool and liver concentration of ascorbic acid.

Eight female monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were fed an ascorbic acid-free diet for 7 weeks, followed by repletion with a supplementation of 10 mg ascorbic acid per kg of body weight for 3 weeks. Once each week the ascorbic acid contents of blood components and liver samples, obtained by closed needle biopsy, were determined as the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivative. In selected animals the size of the total body pool ascorbic acid was determined by isotope dilution after administration (i.v.) of 14C-ascorbic acid. At no time were the monkeys frankly scorbutic. Values for r2 were less than 0.10 between plasma, whole blood, and erythrocyte ascorbic acid contents compared with the total body pool of ascorbic acid. Leukocyte ascorbic acid content was positively related to the total body pool of ascorbic acid (P less than 0.001, r2 = 0.923). Values for r2 were less than 0.15 when whole blood and (erythrocyte) ascorbic acid content were each compared with liver ascorbic acid levels; however, there was a tendency for plasma ascorbic acid levels to be directly related to liver ascorbic acid levels (P less than 0.05, r2 = 0.477), when plasma ascorbic acid was greater than 0.1 micrograms/ml. The relationship between liver ascorbic acid and leukocyte ascorbic acid levels was statistically significant (P less than 0.01, r2 = 0.683). The high correlation of leukocyte ascorbic acid levels with liver ascorbic levels and with the total body pool of ascorbic acid suggests that leukocyte ascorbic acid values best represent the vitamin C status of the female Rhesus monkeys.