Distribution of ascorbic acid in normal and leukaemic human blood

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Abstract
The concentration of ascorbic acid in the plasma, erythrocytes, platelets and leucocytes of human blood has been determined in normal subjects, before and after saturation with ascorbic acid. Both the platelets and leucocytes had high concentrations (before saturation 15 mg/100 g; after saturation 25 mg/100 g) but plasma and erythrocytes were comparatively low (before saturation 0.7 mg/100 ml; after saturation 1.2 mg/100 ml). Because of the large mass of erythrocytes and plasma, they contributed about 80^ of the total ascorbic acid in the blood. About 10% was contributed by platelets and 10% by leucocytes. The concentration of ascorbic acid was higher in chronic leukemic lymphocyte (60 mg/100 g) than in either the normal leucocyte (20 mg/100 g) or leukemic granulocyte (20 mg/100 g); the total quantity in each cell was, however, the same in all these cell types. In chronic lymphatic (2 cases) and myeloid (3 cases) leukemia the ascorbic acid concentration in the plasma is lower than normal.