Antiscorbutic activity of ascorbic acid phosphate in the rhesus monkey and the guinea pig

Extract: Rhesus monkeys fed an ascorbic acid-free, purified liquid diet, developed scurvy in 70 to 105 days. Oral administration of either 10 mg/kg body weight of ascorbic acid or an equimolar amount of the magnesium salt of l-ascorbic acid phosphate cured all symptoms of scurvy. Similarly, oral administration of l-ascorbic acid phosphate cured all symptoms of scurvy in the guinea pig and resulted in liver ascorbate levels equal to those of animals fed ascorbic acid. It is concluded that ascorbic acid phosphate is a readily available source of ascorbic acid activity in vivo.