The effect of vitamin C supplementation on plasma concentration and urinary excretion of vitamin C in cattle

J Anim Sci. 2007 Dec;85(12):3367-70. doi: 10.2527/jas.2007-0060. Epub 2007 Sep 4.

Abstract

We investigated the plasma concentration and urinary excretion of vitamin C in cows supplemented with vitamin C. Five cows (mean BW = 597 kg) were allocated to a 5 x 5 Latin square design and supplemented with a vitamin C preparation coated with hydrogenated soybean oil at 0, 10, 20, 40, or 60 mg of vitamin C per kg of BW per day for 9 d. Plasma and urine samples were collected for measuring vitamin C concentration. Urinary excretion of vitamin C was expressed as the ratio of vitamin C to creatinine. Plasma vitamin C concentration and urinary vitamin C excretion increased quadratically as dietary vitamin C increased (P < 0.001); that is, the lowest dose affected neither plasma vitamin C concentration nor urinary vitamin C excretion but the plasma vitamin C concentration and urinary vitamin C excretion increased (P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of vitamin C at greater doses. This suggests that plasma vitamin C concentration affects urinary excretion of vitamin C in cattle and that plasma vitamin C concentration exceeded the renal threshold for vitamin C in the cows receiving vitamin C at 20 mg/kg of BW per day. Furthermore, increased urinary excretion of vitamin C appears to limit plasma vitamin C concentration in response to vitamin C intake. The daily excretion of vitamin C was estimated by the reported value of daily creatinine excretion, indicating that the daily amount of vitamin C excreted into urine was more than half of supplied vitamin C. Therefore, a large part of supplied vitamin C probably escapes ruminal degradation and is absorbed but excreted into urine.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Ascorbic Acid / blood*
  • Ascorbic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Ascorbic Acid / urine*
  • Cattle / blood
  • Cattle / metabolism*
  • Cattle / urine
  • Creatinine / urine
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Intestinal Absorption
  • Random Allocation
  • Rumen / metabolism
  • Vitamins / blood
  • Vitamins / pharmacology
  • Vitamins / urine

Substances

  • Vitamins
  • Creatinine
  • Ascorbic Acid