PubMed · 3736677
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W Lohmann, M Wunderling, W Schmehl, J Strobel, K G Bensch. 1986. Nuclear cataract and ascorbic acid.. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00367780
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Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an essential nutritional component and powerful antioxidant in vegetables, and in plants, AsA levels are regulated by light. AsA levels in the leaves of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spr), a popular vegetable, are poorly understood. Thus, this study was performed to assess the influence of light on AsA biosynthesis in chive and select related genes (AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1); in addition, bioinformatic analyses and gene expression level assays were performed. The biological information obtained for AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1 was analysed with several tools, including NCBI, DNAMAN, and MEGA11. After different light treatments were performed, the Chive AsA content and AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1 expression levels were determined. These results suggest that 1) compared with natural light, continuous darkness inhibited AsA synthesis in chives. 2) The amino acid sequences of AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1 are very similar to those of other plants. 3) The trends observed for the expression levels of AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1 were consistent with the AsA content observed in chives. Hence, we speculated that light controls AsA biosynthesis in chives by regulating AtuGGP1 and AtuGME1 expression. This study provided impactful and informative evidence regarding the functions of GGP and GME in chives.
A sensitive electrochemical detection system was employed together with a specific salicylate hydroxylation assay to comparatively assess the effects of various substances on the iron-mediated generation of the hydroxyl radical (.OH). Hydroxyl radical production was found to be enhanced significantly by reduced glutathione, cysteine, ascorbic acid, and selected catechols, but not by mannitol, melatonin or tyramine. The data showed that over the range of concentrations examined, the augmented effects were linearly proportional to the amount of added reductant for a given amount of iron in the system. The pro-oxidant activity of thiols and ascorbate reduced and recycled iron providing both hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and catalytic ferrous ions for augmented .OH production by the Fenton reaction. The enhanced production of .OH by catechols resulted from their oxidation either by molecular oxygen or ferric ions, with the accompanying formation of semiquinones, superoxide anion and H2O2. These data caution against therapeutic applications of thiols and ascorbate for ameliorating oxy-radical-induced tissue damage in environments where free redox-active metal ions may be present to function both as foci for site-specific peroxidative activity, and as catalysts to promote the pro-oxidant properties of certain endogenous reductants, thereby elevating rather than diminishing .OH levels.
The first product of ascorbate oxidation, the ascorbate free radical (AFR), acts in biological systems mainly as an oxidant, and through its role in the plasma membrane redox system exerts different effects on the cell. We have investigated the role of ascorbate, AFR and dehydroascorbate (DHA) in the activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor in Jurkat T-cells stimulated by tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Here we show, by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, that ascorbate increases the binding of NF-kappaB to DNA in TNF-alpha-stimulated Jurkat cells. The ability of ascorbate to enhance cytoplasmic inhibitory IkBalpha protein degradation correlates completely with its capacity to induce NF-kappaB binding to DNA and to potentiate NF-kappaB-mediated transactivation of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat promoter in TNF-alpha-stimulated Jurkat cells but not in cells stimulated with PMA plus ionomycin. AFR behaves like ascorbate, while DHA and ascorbate phosphate do not affect TNF-alpha-mediated NF-kappaB activation. These results provide new evidence for a possible relationship between the activation of the electron-transport system at the plasma membrane by ascorbate or its free radical and redox-dependent gene transcription in T-cells.