The Roles of Ascorbic Acid in the Nervous System

Vitamin C (vit C) in body transports by 2 mechanisms: 1) Efficient transport of dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) through glucose transporters. 2) Sodium-dependent co-transport of ascorbic acid (AA) [2]. Vitamin C plays many roles in our body. It increases neurogenesis and can be helpful in prenatal noise stress condition. Prenatal stress increases free radicals [3]. As Vit C is an electron donor, it can protect neurons from free radicals [1,2]. Oxidative stress influence the sympathetic hyperactivity characterizing essential hypertension and contributes to the development of hypertension through activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). Vit C also modulates the effects of ethanol and PTZ, which reduce BCL2 protein expression and increase bax and cytochrome c levels and caspase-9 protein and caspase-3 protein (due to increased cytochrome C level) expression, thereby increasing apoptosis is occurred [4]. This condition decreases the number of neurons in all subdivisions of hippocampus . Therefore, the number of axons in CA3 area that is efficient in spatial memory is reduced. This means Vit C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory. It seems that Vit C deficiency in highrisk individuals is harmful for natural developing of brain [5]. Vit C deficiency decreases tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and increases dihydrobiopterin (BH2)/BH4 in plasma, but Vit C deficiency has shown no changes in morphology of pyramidal neurons in Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1) area of hippocamp [6]. Activation of A3R, not A1R and A2AR, activates adenosine receptor and can modulate ascorbate transportation by increasing its diffusion, so intracellular ascorbate will decrease and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) will be accumulated in cells [7]. A3R activation also alters the oxidation balance through SVCT2 without any change in the production or consumption of ATP neurons [6]. Morphometry significantly reduced myelin thickness but unaffected axon diameters and hydroxyproline levels are unchanged. Collagen transcription is regulated by ascorbic acid in sciatic nerves. the results show that a decrease in the concentration of AA, hypomyelination and a defect in collagen leads to sensorimotor disorders [8].

Vit D protects the brain against the adverse effects Alzheimer Disease (AD). Behavioural effects of adult vit D deficiency are not associated with proliferation or survival of neurons in the adult hippocampus [9]. But Administration of high doses of Vit D without knowing its serum level can cause Hypovitaminosis D and neurological complications. The difference is in the expression of polymorphic variants of VDR gene. Cooperating between astrocyte & neuron make vitamin c being recycled while AA plays a pivotal role in defensing which is not used so much by tumor cell contrariwise hippocampus [10]. Healthy people have the ability to modulate sympathetic- mediated peripheral vascular resistance through endothelial synthesis of nitric oxide despite the people who have CHF [11]. The key rule of Vitamin C in protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage [12] Based on some assays it’s found that vitamin C has effects on the sensorimotor [13]. It’s examined and cleared that Vitamin C by presenting anti-inflammatory mechanism down-regulates the levels of proinflammatory mediators [14] Antioxidants such as Vitamin C and N-Acetyl-L- cysteine play a key role in deface damages which are caused by treatment of ethanol [15].

deficiency could be an effective factor which cause embryonic midbrain deficiency of VC and later reduced midbrain-type dopamine [16]. VC deficiency in brain with redox imbalance together impose negative effects on neuronal morphology [17].

In this paper we have studied on the Vit C transportation, its effect in hypertension and some proteins expression and its deficiency affects on human body. We understood that accumulation of reactive oxygen species could be occurred in cell during diffusion of Vitamin C. Vitamin C prevents hypertension and sensorimotor disorders; Vitamin C also could regulates apoptosis by having effect on protein transcription. Its deficiency also attracted our attention that could be so harmful for natural brain developing in high-risk groups specially in postnatal period. During our study about the vitamin c roles in CNS, Vitamin D protects the brain against the adverse effects Alzheimer Disease; however must pay attention to its consumption dose in order to prevent Hypovitaminosis.

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