Ascorbic acid stimulates chloride transport in the amphibian cornea.

The cornea of the toad, Bufo marinus, actively transports chloride from the endothelial to the epithelial surface. This transport process has been related to the maintenance of the normal transparency of the cornea. Ion transport, as evidenced by the short-circuit current (SCC), is markedly stimulated by physiologic concentrations of ascorbic acid. Measurement of the unidirectional fluxes of 36Cl and 22Na shows that the increase in SCC is due primarily to a stimulation of the active transport of chloride.