The Effect of High Doses of Ascorbic Acid on the Functions of the Adrenal Glands

Abstract

Four grams ascorbic acid given daily by mouth for 4 days increase the urinary excretion of 11-oxysteroids and decrease the excretion of 17-ketosteroids. Ascorbic acid probably acts directly on the adrenal cortex.The relations which exist between ascorbic acid and the adrenal glands have been the object of many studies. Stress, adrenaline and ACTH deplete ascorbic acid in the adrenal cortex, but the production of such an effect by stress or adrenaline requires an intact pituitary gland [Sayers & Sayers, 1948; Dury, 1948; Selye & Stone, 1950;Selye, 1950]. Selye notes that in subjects who have an intact pituitary gland, ascorbic acid decreases during the alarm reaction phase and increases during the resistance phase in the blood, that ACTH and cortical extracts increase the ascorbic acid content of the blood but have no effect on that of the tissues, and that ascorbic acid facilitates the production of the resistance phase.The therapeutic activity of ACTH increases with the rise of the ascorbic acid content of the blood [Ferstl & Heppich, 1950].The hypertrophy of the adrenal glands, which is produced in guinea-pigs and rats by exposure to cold, can be prevented, and resistance to cold be increased with high doses of ascorbic acid [Dugal & Thérien, 1949]. Schaffenburg, Masson & Corcoran [1950] have found that in guinea-pigs with scurvy, the adrenal glands are hypertrophic, that the ascorbic acid content is diminished and that cortisone and ACTH abolish the symptoms of scurvy, while DCA increases them.The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of high doses of ascorbic acid on the functional activities of the adrenal glands. METHODS This investigation has been carried out on eleven normal adult human subjects. In order to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on gluco-corticoid and androgen production of the adrenal cortex, the 17-ketosteroid and 11-oxysteroid excretion in urine were determined, before and after the administration of ascorbic acid. Four grams ascorbic acid per os were given daily for 4 days and the hormone determinations made on the day preceding and on the fourth day following the administration of ascorbic acid. 11-oxysteroids were determined by the method of Talbot, Saltzman, Wixom & Wolf [1945] and 17-ketosteroids by Zimmermann's method [1944, 1946].The average normal value for 17-ketosteroid excretion in man was found to be 20 mg./24 hr. in our clinic.

Plasma Cortisol and Adrenal Ascorbic Acid Levels after ACTH Treatment with a High Intake of Ascorbic Acid in the Guinea Pig

“…For example, the addition of a small amount of AA to adrenal tissue of guinea pigs, in vitro, increased the conver sion of 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol by 20-30% [6], AA added in excess, in vitro, inhib ited this process [7], Therefore, the depletion of AA from the adrenals after ACTH treat ment may be needed to permit synthesis of glucocorticoids to proceed unhindered [8][9][10], Excess intakes of AA were reported to delay the rise in plasma cortisol (PC) after ACTH injection, which was attributed to a delay in the depletion of adrenal AA [11]. The influence of AA status on the magnitude of adrenal AA depletion and the relationship between PC and adrenal AA level after ACTH is not known, even though the AA concentration in the adrenals is related to AA intake [12,13].…”

Scurvy Following Bilateral Adrenalectomy

“…Corticotrophin therapy reduces the stores of ascorbic acid in the adrenal cortex, and prolonged administration produces a deficiency and symptoms of scurvy. Kayahan (1952) states that following the taking of large doses of vitamin C by mouth in man, there is an increased corticoid but decreased 17-ketosteroid excretion in the urine, indicating a direct action on the adrenal cortex.…”