The conversion of 14C-labelled ‘glucose cycloacetoacetate’ into l-ascorbic acid in albino rats

Abstract

Glucose cycloacetoacetate was injected into chloretone-treated rats and the ascorbic acid isolated from the urine was degraded to determine the activities of carbon atoms 1, 2 and 6. Intraperitoneal injection of [1-C14]glucose cycloacetoacetate resulted in excretion of ascorbic acid with 64-71% of the activity in C-6 and 8-10% in C-1. Ascorbic acid recovered from the urine of rats injected with [6-C14]glucose cycloacetoacetate contained 66-68% of the activity in C-l and 8-11% in C-6. The results indicate that the glucose moiety of glucose cycloacetoacetate remains intact and simultaneously it undergoes inversion.