Leukocyte vitamin

Absorption, Transport, and Excretion. The vitamin is absorbed through the mouth, the stomach, and predominantly through the distal portion of the small intestine, and hence, penetrates into the bloodstream. Ascorbic acid is widely distributed to the cells of the body and is mainly present in the white blood cells (leukocytes). The ascorbic acid concentration in these cells is about 150 times its concentration in the plasma (150,151). Dehydroascorbic acid is the main form in the red blood cells (erythrocytes). White blood cells are involved in the destmction of bacteria. 

Radiation is one of the most important known environmental stimuli of cancer development. This environmental factor becomes especially dangerous for humans living in the areas affected by irradiation from nuclear accidents. Earlier we found that the administration of a mixture of vitamin E and a-lipoic acid to children living in the area of Chernobyl nuclear accident significantly and synergistically suppressed leukocyte oxygen radical overproduction [211]. Thus a-lipoic acid and a-lipoic acid + vitamin E supplements may be of interest as antioxidant preventive agents for the treatment of radiation-induced cancer development. 

A number of early in vitro studies demonstrated a considerable role of free radicals in liver injury (see, for example, Proceedings of International Meeting on Free Radicals in Liver Injury [341]). Later on, it was shown that chronic inflammation in the liver-induced oxidative DNA damage stimulated chronic active hepatitis and increased the risk of hepatocarcinogenesis [342,343]. Farinati et al. [344] showed that 8-OHdG content increased in circulating leukocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. DNA oxidative damage is supposedly an early event of HCV-related hepatitis. The formation of isoprostanes in the liver of carbon tetrachloride-treated rats can be suppressed by the administration of vitamin E [345],... 

Overproduction of free radicals by erythrocytes and leukocytes and iron overload result in a sharp increase in free radical damage in T1 patients. Thus, Livrea et al. [385] found a twofold increase in the levels of conjugated dienes, MDA, and protein carbonyls with respect to control in serum from 42 (3-thalassemic patients. Simultaneously, there was a decrease in the content of antioxidant vitamins C (44%) and E (42%). It was suggested that the iron-induced liver damage in thalassemia may play a major role in the depletion of antioxidant vitamins. Plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes were elevated in (3-thalassemic children compared to controls together with compensatory increase in SOD activity [386]. The development of lipid peroxidation in thalassemic erythrocytes probably depends on a decrease in reduced glutathione level and decreased catalase activity [387]. 

Macrocytic anemias are characterized by increased mean corpuscular volume (110 to 140 fL). One of the earliest and most specific indications of macrocytic anemia is hypersegmented polymorphonuclear leukocytes on the peripheral blood smear. Vitamin B12 and folate concentrations can be measured to differentiate between the two deficiency anemias. A vitamin B12 value of less than 150 pg/mL, together with appropriate peripheral smear and clinical symptoms, is diagnostic of vitamin B12-deficiency anemia. A decreased RBC folate concentration (less than 150 ng/mL) appears to be a better indicator of folate-deficiency anemia than a decreased serum folate concentration (less than 3 ng/mL). 

Under the influence of pectin-vitamin pills the quantity of micronucleus cells of mouth cavity mucous decreased from 0.060+0.007% to 0.041+0.007%. This fact shows minimizing of genotoxic activity. Girls have had a decline from 0.05% to 0.04%, and boys - from 0.064 to 0.05%. Similar changes, and even more pronounced, have occurred in leukocytes of the peripheral blood. (Table 6)... 

Minor chromosomal abnormalities Inhibition of intracellular hydrolytic enzymes of alveolar macrophages increased fraction of polymorphonuclear leukocytes Alterations in blood, including red-cell membrane and enzyme changes and increased serum vitamin E and lipid peroxides Decreased lung DNA synthesis Decreased electric response of specific areas of brain with evoked-response technique... 

The animals treated with 200, 400, and 800 lU A showed a healing effect of vitamin A on the cornified vaginal epithelium as early as 2 days after starting the experiment. In the smear of all concentrations, almost exclusively leukocytes — indicating a successful healing and mucosal regeneration — with only sporadic epithelial cells and squamous cells... 

Hematopoiesis, the production from undifferentiated stem cells of circulating erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes, is a remarkable process that produces over 200 billion new blood cells per day in the normal person and even greater numbers of cells in people with conditions that cause loss or destruction of blood cells. The hematopoietic machinery resides primarily in the bone marrow in adults and requires a constant supply of three essential nutrients—iron, vitamin B12,... 

Large doses of glucocorticoids have been associated with the development of peptic ulcer, possibly by suppressing the local immune response against Helicobacter pylori. They also promote fat redistribution in the body, with increase of visceral, facial, nuchal, and supraclavicular fat, and they appear to antagonize the effect of vitamin D on calcium absorption. The glucocorticoids also have important effects on the hematopoietic system. In addition to their effects on leukocytes, they increase the number of platelets and red blood cells. 

Lycium barbarum L. L. megistocarpum Dun. L. ovatum Loisel. L. trewianum G. Don L. turbinatum Loisel. Gou Gi, Gou Qi Zi (Ningxia wolfberry) (fruit) Betaine, zeaxanthin, physalein, carotenes, nicotinic acid, vitamin Q 33,447 Increase leukocyte count, anticancer, increase immunity, stimulation of tissue development. 

Lycium barbarum L. China Betaine, zeaxanthin, physalein, carotine, nicotinic acid, vitamin C.33 Increase leukocyte count, increase immunity, stimulate tissue development. 

The most clearly documented role lor selenium is as a necessary component of glutathione peroxidase. Selenium is also involved in the functions of additional enzymes, e.g.. type I iodoihvronine deiodinase. leukocyte acid phosphatase, and glucuronidases. A role for selenium in electron transfer has been suggested as has involvement in nonheme iron proteins. Selenium and vitamin b appear to be necessary lor proper functioning of lysosomal membranes. A role for selenium in metabolism of thyroid hormone has been continued. 

An absence of R-type binding protein has been reported in two adult siblings by Carmel and Herbert (C20). R-Type protein was virtually absent from their leukocytes and saliva, and as was expected they had very low levels of serum vitamin B12. The absence of the protein did not appear to have any adverse effects. Other members of this family have also been found to have an absence of, or very low levels of, R-protein (H26). There was no general deficiency of plasma glycoproteins in these patients and the amounts of thyroid binding globulin, thyroxine, ceruloplasmin, and transferrin were all normal. 

In vitamin Be-deflcient experimental animals, there are skin lesions (e.g., acrodynia in the rat) and fissures or ulceration at the corners of the mouth and over the tongue, as well as a number of endocrine abnormalities defects in the metabolism of tryptophan (Section 9.5.4), methionine (Section 9.5.5), and other amino acids hypochromic microcytic anemia (the first step of heme biosynthesis is pyridoxal phosphate dependent) changes in leukocyte count and activity a tendency to epileptiform convulsions and peripheral nervous system damage resulting in ataxia and sensory neuropathy. There is also impairment of immune responses, as a result of reduced activity of serine hydroxymethyltransferase and hence reduced availability of one-carbon substituted folate for nucleic acid synthesis (Section 10.3.3). It has been suggested... 

About 70% of blood ascorbate is in plasma and erythrocytes (which do not concentrate the vitamin from plasma). The remainder is in white cells, which have a marked ability to concentrate ascorbate mononuclear leukocytes achieve 80-fold, platelets 40-fold, and granulocytes 25-fold concentration, compared with plasma concentration. In adequately nourished subjects, and those receiving supplements, the ascorbate concentration in erythrocytes, platelets, and granulocytes, but not in mononuclear leukocytes, is correlated with plasma concentration. Mononuclear leukocytes concentrate ascorbate independendy of plasma concentration (Evans et al., 1982). In deficiency, as plasma concentrations of ascorbate fall, mononuclear leukocyte, granulocyte, and platelet concentrations of ascorbate are protected to a considerable extent. As discussed in Section 13.5.2, the leukocyte content of ascorbate is used as an index ofvitamin C nutritional status, but in view of the differing capacity of different cell types to accumulate the vitamin, differential white cell counts are essential to interpret the results. 

There is no specific storage organ for ascorbate apart from leukocytes (which account for only 10% of total blood ascorbate), the only tissues showing a significant concentration of the vitamin are the adrenal and pituitary glands. Although the concentration of ascorbate in muscle is relatively low, skeletal muscle contains much of the body pool of 5 to 8.5 mmol (900 to 1,500 mg) of ascorbate. 

Vitamin C status is generally assessed by estimating the saturation of body reserves or measuring plasma and leukocyte concentrations of the vitamin. Urinary excretion of hydroxyproline-containing peptides is reduced in people with inadequate vitamin C status, but a number of other factors that affect bone and connective tissue turnover confound interpretation of the results (Bates, 1977). The ratio of deoxypyridinolineipyridinoline compounds derived from collagen cross-links provides a more useful index, but is potentially affected by copper status (Tsuchiya and Bates, 1997). 

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