Effect of vitamin C on the growth of experimentally induced endometriotic cysts.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin C on the growth of experimental endometriotic cysts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The endometrium of the uterine horn wall (diameter, 4 mm) was implanted onto the inner surface of the anterior abdominal wall of 40 Wistar albino adult female rats, by laparotomy. The day after the implantation, the rats were randomly assigned into four groups (control group and experimental groups [V1, V2, and V3]) comprising 10 rats each. For 6 weeks, the control group (Group C) received 1 mL distilled water, whereas the experimental groups (Groups V1, V2, and V3) received 0.5 mg, 1.25 mg, and 2.5 mg of vitamin C in 1 mL of distilled water, respectively. The doses were given via oral gavage once per day. At the end of the administration, a second laparotomy was performed and endometriotic cyst volumes and weights of rats among the groups were compared. In addition, the stromal and glandular tissue and the natural killer cell contents of the cysts were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The cyst volume in Group V3 and the cyst weights in Groups V2 and V3 were significantly lower than those in Group C. The natural killer cell content in Groups V1, V2, and V3 was significantly lower than that in Group C. Stromal and glandular tissue contents of the groups were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The dose-dependent vitamin C supplementation significantly reduced the volumes and weights of the endometriotic cysts.

Protective effects of cysteine, methionine and vitamin C on the stomach in chronically alcohol treated rats.

A chronic intake of high dose alcohol may cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the stomach. It is hypothesized that cysteine-methionine and vitamin C may neutralize harmful compounds while potentiating the antioxidant capacity of the cell or tissue. The experimental animals were fed regular diets and were maintained for 90 days in the control group, the alcoholic group, which was given 2.5 g of 50% ethanol kg(-1) body wt. administered intragastrically every other day, or the alcoholic with antioxidant supplement group, to whom 2.5 g of 50% ethanol kg(-1) body wt. + a solution that contained 200 mg vitamin C, 100 mg cysteine and 100 mg methionine was administered intragastrically every other day. After the treatments, the stomach was taken for pathological and biochemical analysis. The stomach of the alcoholic group rats had higher scores of pathological findings compared with the control group, whereas the scores of the antioxidant-supplemented group were lower than the alcoholic group. In addition, the oxidized protein and lipid content in the stomachs of the alcoholic group were significantly higher than the control, but antioxidant supplementation lowered the amount of oxidation in the antioxidant supplemented group. The amount of stomach glutathione in the alcoholic group was higher than that of the control and antioxidant-supplemented groups. Interestingly, the level of total thiol in the stomach tissue of rats with antioxidant supplement was statistically higher than that of the control and alcoholic groups. In conclusion, the scores of the pathological findings in the stomach of rats with the antioxidant supplement were lower than the chronic alcohol-treated rats, albeit the amount of total thiol was increased in this group. Moreover, chronic alcohol treatment led to an increase in the level of lipid and protein oxidation in the stomach tissue of rats. A simultaneous intake of ascorbate/l-cys/l-met along with ethanol attenuated the amount of oxidation which suggested that cysteine-methionine and vitamin C could play a protective role in the stomach against oxidative damage resulting from chronic alcohol ingestion.