Carolyn M Lewis

Tissue ascorbic acid analysis using ferrozine compared with the dinitrophenylhydrazine method

Abstract Reduced ascorbic acid (0.2 to 10.0 μg/ml) can be conveniently assayed in acid-deproteinized tissue extracts by a colorimetric procdure using ferrozine. The assay is based on the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) by ascorbic acid, followed by chromogenic chelation of Fe(II) with ferrozine. Guinea pig tissues (liver, spleen, adrenal gland, kidney) and human plasma and serum samples were used to compare this ferrozine method with the dinitrophenylhydrazine assay which measures (total) ascorbic acid by a different chemical principle. Results of the two methods were similar. The advantages of the ferrozine assay for reduced ascorbic acid include its speed, ease, and sensitivity.