Abstract
THE interesting communication by Kalnenas1 on the amounts of ascorbic acid in the plasmas of antarctic birds and mammals contains a statement that ought not to go unchallenged. He says, “Ascorbic acid is an indispensable hydrogen carrier in the metabolism of animals”. Contrast this with the more realistic statement of Harris2, “It has to be admitted … that the exact biochemical role of vitamin C is still obscure, although there is probably significance in the recent findings that in animal tissues it can catalyse the oxidation of the side chain of the … tyrosine”.
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References
Nature, 169, 836 (1952).
Harris, L. J., “Vitamins: A Digest of Current Knowledge” (Churchill, Ltd., London, 1951).
Damron, C. M., Monier, M. M., and Roe, J. H., J. Biol. Chem., 195, 599 (1952).
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BACHARACH, A. Biochemical Role of Vitamin C. Nature 169, 1107–1108 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/1691107b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1691107b0
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