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Interrelationship of Dietary Ascorbic Acid and Iron on the Tissue Distribution of Ascorbic Acid, Iron and Copper in Female Guinea Pigs¹

Department of Pharmacology and Nutrition, University of Southern California School of Medicine, 2025 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Female guinea pigs were fed diets varied in ascorbic acid and iron concentration for 21 days. Tissue concentrations of ascorbic acid, iron (total, ferritin and hemosiderin) and copper were determined in blood, liver and spleen. High dietary ascorbic acid (10 times control) increased tissue ascorbic acid levels and produced a decrease in liver ferritin and hemosiderin, without altering liver or plasma total iron. Conversely, splenic total iron increased with no changes in ferritin and hemosiderin iron. The increased ascorbic acid did lower copper levels in blood and liver, 39% and 52%, respectively. In guinea pigs maintained on an ascorbic acid-free diet for 21 days, a decrease in hepatic ferritin and total iron was observed, as well as an increase in splenic hemosiderin and total iron. No change in plasma iron was observed nor were any of the copper pools altered. Intake of high dietary iron (10 times control) increased hepatic iron stores and produced a reciprocal decrease in hepatic copper. Even though splenic iron increased, no significant change in copper resulted. The significance of these nutrient interactions is discussed.

KEY WORDS: • ascorbic acid • iron • ferritin • hemosiderin • copper • female guinea pigs • blood • liver • spleen

¹ Presented in part at the 63rd Annual Meeting, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Dallas, TX, 3 April 1979. Fed. Proc. 38: 453, 1979 (abs.).

² In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmacology and Nutrition). Dissertation entitled "The Interrelationship of Dietary Ascorbic Acid and Iron on the Tissue Distribution of Ascorbic Acid, Iron and Copper in Female Guinea Pigs." Acknowledgment: CHS was supported in part by NHLI training grant (5T01·HL05536).

³ Current address: Division of Food Science and Nutrition, Department of Home Economics, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA 91830.

⁴ To whom reprint requests should be sent.

Manuscript received 28 September 1979.

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