Change in the Bound Ascorbic Acid Content of Muscle and Liver of Rat in Relation to Age

Abstract

CHANGES in the composition of cells of different tissues in relation to age may result in alterations of the enzyme activities and metabolic rate which ultimately regulate the function of the cell. The study of chemical changes has therefore a basic association with the ageing of various tissues. The fact that ageing is accompanied by concomitant loss of functional cells has attracted the attention of various workers¹. The nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents of rat skeletal muscle, a fixed post-mitotic tissue, decreased significantly with age when compared with those of liver, a mitotic potential tissue². No significant change was found in the activity of DNA and various other enzymes of the liver when fully matured rats were compared with old rats³. Ascorbic acid is known to participate in various metabolic functions⁴, and these specific functions indicate that it may play some important part in the ageing process^4–6. Bound ascorbic acid has been shown to have an enzyme function⁷. In the present investigation the content of bound ascorbic acid in liver and muscle has been estimated to evaluate the effect of age.