Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0003969 (vitamin C deficiency)
 625 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cholesterol lithogenesis is the end result of hepatic microsomal enzymatic alterations which determine an increase in cholesterol synthesis (HMG CoA reductase) and a decrease in its transformation into bile salts (7 alpha hydroxylase). Therefore biliary cholesterol excretion is increased while bile salt excretion is diminished. Ascorbic Acid (A.A.) seems capable of reversing those enzymatic derrangements in scorbutic animals. Since hamsters are able to synthesize A.A., we evaluated its effect used in high doses during diet induced lithogenesis. Two groups of 6 weeks old, male hamsters, were fed with a lithogenic diet for 30 days. Group A received the usual amount of A.A. contained in the diet (0.25 mg/day/manster) while group B had supplementary A.A. added to drinking water (5 mg/day/hamster). Thirteen out of twenty of group A (65%) and 5 out of 20 of group B (25%) developed cholesterol calculi (p 0.05). Less stones were found in the gallbladders of hamsters fed with supplementary A.A. It is concluded that A.A. in this model, has an inhibitory effect on lithogenesis. The possible mechanism seems to be related to A.A. influence on the microsomal enzymes involved in lithogenesis. These findings, plus the lack of undesirable secondary effects of supplementary A.A. suggest a potential therapeutic role in human cholelithiasis.
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PMID:[Prevention of cholelithiasis with ascorbic acid. Experimental study in hamsters]. 53 39

Vanadium has been reported to affect numerous physiological processes; however, a demonstration that vanadium deficiency consistently impairs biological function is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine if the activity of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, is affected by dietary supplementation of vanadate and/or chronic ascorbic acid deficiency. To determine if vanadium and/or ascorbic acid affected mineral metabolism, tissue minerals also were analyzed. Weanling male guinea pigs were assigned randomly to groups of 10 in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The dietary variables were ascorbate, 0.5 or 10 mg/day, and vanadium < 0.01 microgram or 0.5 microgram/g diet as NH4VO3 in a low Cr diet containing < 0.07 microgram Cr/g diet. After 21 weeks on this diet, guinea pigs receiving more ascorbate had lower liver weight/body weight ratios and increased bone copper. Testes weight/body weight ratios, hepatic glycogen and bone copper decreased while hepatic lipids, fecal bile acids, plasma cortisol and bone calcium and magnesium were increased by vanadium supplementation. An interaction between vanadium and ascorbate affected cholesterol excretion in feces, hepatic iron, plasma cholesterol concentration and the activity of HMG CoA reductase. This study provides evidence of increased bone mineral concentrations with vanadium supplementation and of an interaction between vanadium and ascorbate which affected cholesterol metabolism.
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PMID:Vanadium and ascorbate effects on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, cholesterol and tissue minerals in guinea pigs fed low-chromium diets. 166 16