Abstract
Summary
1. Though glucose has a slight effect in the process of biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in the germinating mung beans and acetoacetate alone has rather a destructive effect, the product formed by the condensation of the two (2-tetra hydroxy butyl 5-methyl 4-carbethoxy furan) has been found to accelerate the process greatly. 2. Glucose and acetoacetate when added in equimolecular amounts to the germinating beans have also been shown to cause greater biosynthesis of ascorbic acid. 3. The condensation product of glucose and acetoacetate has no inhibitory effect on the loss of ascorbic acid and the probability of this compound, which is also structurally similar to ascorbic acid, acting as a precursor of ascorbic acid has been suggested. 4. Injection of the condensation product of glucose and acetoacetate or of one following the other has been found to raise the ascorbic acid level in the plasma of rats. 5. Glucose has been found to prevent the harmful effect of acetoacetate with respect to depletion of ascorbic acid in vivo. 6. Pathways of glucose metabolism not previously recognized have been suggested.
Addendum. After this paper was communicated for publication, a paper on the origin of 1-ascorbic acid in the albino rats has appeared from the laboratory of King (19), which gives confirmatory evidence of glucose taking part in the biosynthesis of ascorbic acid.
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