Interaction of ascorbate and alpha-tocopherol.

Vitamins C and E function as water-soluble and lipid-soluble chain-breaking antioxidants, respectively, and protect lipids, proteins, and membranes from oxidative damage. Vitamin C scavenges oxygen radicals in the aqueous phase, whereas vitamin E scavenges oxygen radicals within the membranes. Vitamin C regenerates vitamin E by reducing vitamin E radicals formed when vitamin E scavenges the oxygen radicals. This interaction between vitamin C and vitamin E radicals can take place not only in homogeneous solutions but also in liposomal membrane systems where vitamins C and E reside separately outside and within the membranes respectively, and vitamin C can act as a synergist.