Evaluation of ascorbic acid 2-O-alpha-glucoside as vitamin C source: mode of intestinal hydrolysis and absorption following oral administration

Ascorbic acid 2-O-alpha-glucoside (AA-2G) has been reported to have antiscorbutic activity in guinea pigs. The present experiments examined the metabolic fate of AA-2G following ingestion. Oral administration of AA-2G (96 mg) to guinea pigs resulted in a remarkable increase of ascorbic acid in various tissues as well as plasma, but intact AA-2G was detected only in plasma, but intact AA-2G was detected only in plasma and urine in small amounts. The absorption efficiency of AA-2G and ascorbic acid was further determined by using everted gut sacs of rats. Ascorbic acid released from AA-2G on the mucosal side was effectively taken up across intestinal membranes into the serosal side, whereas AA-2G poorly permeated via a passive transport system. The hydrolysis of AA-2G on the mucosal surface of everted gut was completely inhibited by an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor and the hydrolytic activity of a crude membrane extract diminished to one-forth after immunoprecipitation with the antibody specific to maltase. From these results, it is concluded that ingested AA-2G serves as a vitamin C source through the hydrolysis by intestinal membrane-bound alpha-glucosidase, mainly maltase, and the subsequent absorption of released ascorbic acid.