Vitamin C in the suprarenal medulla

Abstract

The cortex (in the ox) is about thrice and the medulla about twice as potent as orange juice (or standard lemon juice), weight for weight. The biological results agree precisely with the chemical titration, showing that ox suprarenal medulla contains about 1.1 to 1.2 mgm. of ascorbic acid per gm. A negative silver stain is no certain guide as to the presence or absence of vitamin C. The localized concn. of vitamin C in the suprarenals cannot be regarded as a reserve store for the body, comparable, for example, with the vitamin A reserves of the liver. More probably it is needed for protecting the normal functional activities of the organ. To test the theory that the suprarenal is engaged in synthesizing the vitamin in such species as are known to make their own (such as dogs and rats), adrenalectomized rats were fed on vitamin C-free diet for several weeks but no scurvy developed. Rat suprarenal has the extremely high activity of about 3 times that of the ox or normal guinea-pig, or 10 times that of orange juice, as determined biologically and by titration (6 mgm. ascorbic acid per gm.).