L-Ascorbic acid and lysosomal acid hydrolase activities of guinea pig liver and brain

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Abstract
The effects of L-ascorbic acid deficiency on guinea pig hepatic and brain lysosomal hydrolases were examined. In general, hepatic .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase, .beta.-D-glucuronidase, .alpha.-D-galactosidase, .alpha.-D-mannosidase and acid phosphatase were elevated in scorbutic animals. This appears to be independent of the starved state. Brain .beta.-D-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase followed a similar pattern to that observed with the liver enzymes, but brain .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase was not affected by L-ascorbic acid deficiency. Supplementing the in vitro assay system with L-ascorbic acid decreased the activity of hepatic .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase somewhat but had no effect on the brain enzyme. Serum total .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase was unaffected by dietary treatments although the activity of .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase A tended to increase in the scorbutic animals. Subcellular fractions were obtained from the 3 groups of animals and the recoveries of protein, .beta.-N-acetylhexosaminidase and glucose-6-phosphatase estimated.