Uptake of L-ascorbic acid and L-dehydroascorbic acid by human erythrocytes and HeLa cells.

Uptake of AsA and DAsA by human cells, i.e., erythrocytes and HeLa cells, was examined in vitro. AsA was taken up very slowly, but DAsA was taken up very rapidly by erythrocytes to establish equilibrium after 1 minute. Uptake of the vitamins by HeLa cells was similar to that by erythrocytes, except there was an uptake of DAsA that reached saturation after 5 minutes. The DAsA taken up was reduced in part to AsA and the concentrations of DAsA inside and outside the cells became almost equal. GSH was responsible for this reduction. Although DAsA was evidently a more permeant form than AsA in the case of human cells, the relevance of this to the uptake of vitamin C by the tissues in vivo remains uncertain.