Vitamin C

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble electron donor and a cofactor for a family of biosynthetic and gene-regulatory enzymes. Laboratory research on ascorbic acid covers its antioxidant chemistry, its requirement for proline hydroxylation in procollagen, its role as a cofactor for TET methylcytosine dioxygenases, and the hydrogen peroxide that pharmacologic concentrations generate in cell-culture medium. Research Market supplies vitamin C as a research reagent, with identity data for each lot reported on its certificate of analysis. It is sold strictly for laboratory research use.

Chemical structure and identification

• Molecular formula: C₆H₈O₆
• Molecular weight: 176.12 g/mol
• CAS number: 50-81-7
• PubChem CID: 54670067
• Synonyms: L-Ascorbic acid, ascorbate
• Form: Physical form and fill are stated on the vial label and batch certificate of analysis
• Analytical methods: HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity, reported on the batch certificate of analysis

Research applications

• Antioxidant chemistry: Reviewed as an electron donor whose antioxidant effects have been demonstrated in many in-vitro experiments, together with the limits of current oxidation biomarkers [1]
• Collagen biochemistry: Ascorbate is required for hydroxylation of proline residues in procollagen, which stabilizes the collagen triple helix; collagen and proteoglycan synthesis were examined in ascorbate-deficient guinea pigs [2]
• TET enzymes and DNA hydroxymethylation: In mouse embryonic fibroblasts, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine rose with ascorbate concentration and incubation time without any change in Tet gene expression, and Tet knockdown blocked the effect [3]
• Hydrogen peroxide generation in culture: In 1-hour exposures, five cancer cell lines had EC₅₀ values below 4 mM ascorbate while normal cells were unaffected at 20 mM; cell death depended on H₂O₂ formation [4]
• Immune cell biology: Reviewed for its accumulation in neutrophils and its reported effects on chemotaxis, phagocytosis and B- and T-cell differentiation [5]

Reference citations

1. Padayatty S.J. et al. (2003). Vitamin C as an antioxidant: evaluation of its role in disease prevention. J Am Coll Nutr, 22(1):18–35. PMID 12569111 · DOI
2. Peterkofsky B. (1991). Ascorbate requirement for hydroxylation and secretion of procollagen: relationship to inhibition of collagen synthesis in scurvy. Am J Clin Nutr, 54(6 Suppl):1135S–1140S. PMID 1720597 · DOI
3. Minor E.A. et al. (2013). Ascorbate induces ten-eleven translocation (Tet) methylcytosine dioxygenase-mediated generation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. J Biol Chem, 288(19):13669–13674. PMID 23548903 · DOI
4. Chen Q. et al. (2005). Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 102(38):13604–13609. PMID 16157892 · DOI
5. Carr A.C. et al. (2017). Vitamin C and immune function. Nutrients, 9(11):1211. PMID 29099763 · DOI

Compound data from PubChem CID 54670067. Literature summaries describe published preclinical research and are not claims about this product’s effects in humans or animals.