Vitamin C in the monkey brain
Résumé
In general, the metabolic roles played by vitamins are well known, but to date less is known about the anatomical localization of these substances in the mammalian brain. Using a highly specific antiserum directed against vitamin C, the distribution of vitamin C-immunoreactive structures in the monkey (Macaca fascicularis) brain was studied. Antibody avidity and specificity were checked using the ELISA method, and it was estimated that antibody avidity (IC50) was 10-7 M for anti-conjugated ascorbic acid antibodies. Thus, using an immunoperoxidase technique that increases the immuno-histochemical reaction product, no immunoreactive fibers containing vitamin C were found in the monkey brain, but a moderate density of vitamin C-immunoreactive cell bodies was observed in the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus). These cell bodies were located in layers III-IV and were generally small, triangular, or round, showing no, or only one to two, short visible processes, or long dendrites. The anatomical distribution of vitamin C and those of other vitamins (folic acid, thiamine, riboflavin...) in the monkey brain are compared and discussed. The restricted distribution of vitamin C in the monkey brain suggests that this vitamin could be involved in very specific physiological mechanisms (e.g., antioxidative, neuromodulation, neuroprotection).