Effect of ascorbic acid on plasma calcium in guinea pigs.

Ascorbic acid (246 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered orally to 9-week old female guinea pigs of the Hartley strain over a period of 20 months. The controls received 40 mg/kg body weight/day of ascorbic acid in the diet. Observations were made on body weight, food and water consumption, plasma ascorbic acid, and the total calcium and ionic calcium levels at various times during the growth of these animals. A second experiment was carried out when the guinea pigs were 18 months old. In addition to the oral intake, they received intraperitoneally 623 mg/kg body weight/day of sodium ascorbate for 6 weeks. With this treatment, the ascorbic acid intake for the test animals was 20 times that for the controls. The plasma ascorbic acid and calcium levels of these animals were measured during the treatment. In the ascorbic acid-treated animals, there was a significant elevation in plasma ascorbic acid level in comparison with the controls, but no substantial differences were observed in the body weight, total calcium or ionic calcium levels in the plasma. The results suggest that the administration of large quantities of ascorbic acid does not affect total calcium or ionic calcium levels in the plasma of these animals.