ACIDO ASCÓRBICO: DESDE LA QUIMICA HASTA SU CRUCIAL FUNCIÓN PROTECTIVA EN OJO"

SERRA H.M; CAFARO T

FEDERACION BIOQUIMICA PROVINCIA BUENOS AIRES

Año: 2007 vol. 41 p. 525 - 525

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid (AA) is an essential vitamin and a water solubleimportant antioxidant agent, chemically synthesized from glucose, by enzymaticreactions, being the L-gulono γ lactone oxidase (GLO) the last enzymeinvolved. The inability to synthesize AA by some species, due to the absenceof GLO seems to have happened hundreds of millions years ago. The degradationof the AA is carried out by oxidative processes which involve thehydrolysis of the lactona ring to produce 2,3 - diketogulonic acid (DCG) thatis later degraded by decarboxilation, generating colored products, found insome ocular pathologies. Among the different properties of the AA, it is worthmentioning its capacity to absorb ultraviolet radiation (RUV) and to avoid the photochemicaldamage of exposed tissues. In humans and in some animals (guinea pigs, primates, etc) theaqueous humor has bigger concentrations of AA than plasma. This responds t