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Fig. 1 | Critical Care

Fig. 1

From: Measuring vitamin C in critically ill patients: clinical importance and practical difficulties—Is it time for a surrogate marker?

Fig. 1

Degradation of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). By donating two electrons, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) is formed. After hydrolysis, DHA is irreversibly degraded to 2,3-diketogulonic acid, leading to further breakdown products of vitamin C. The half-life of DHA is only minutes due to hydrolytic ring rupture. DHA can be reversibly reduced (recycling) by glutathione or enzyme-dependent mechanisms

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Critical Care

ISSN: 1364-8535