American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 54, 1302S-1309S, Copyright © 1991 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Immunocompetence and oxidant defense during ascorbate depletion of healthy men

RA Jacob, DS Kelley, FS Pianalto, ME Swendseid, SM Henning, JZ Zhang, BN Ames, CG Fraga and JH Peters
Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129.

To determine nonscorbutic effects of moderate vitamin C deficiency we measured immune function and oxidative damage in eight healthy men (25- 43 y) who consumed 5-250 mg/d of ascorbic acid over 92 d on a metabolic unit. During ascorbic acid intakes of 5, 10, or 20 mg/d, subjects attained a state of moderate ascorbic acid deficiency as ascorbic acid concentrations in plasma, leucocytes, semen, and buccal cells dropped to less than 50% of baseline with no scorbutic symptoms observed. No changes in cell proliferation, erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes, and DNA strand breaks were observed; however, blood levels of glutathione and NAD(P) decreased during ascorbic acid deficiency, as did delayed hypersensitivity responsiveness. Concentrations of the oxidatively modified DNA base, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in sperm DNA and fecapentaenes, ubiquitous fecal mutagens, were increased during ascorbic acid depletion. Moderate vitamin C deficiency, in the absence of scurvy, results in alteration of antioxidant chemistries and may permit increased oxidative damage.

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