HISTOCHEMISTRY 78. ASCORBIC ACID IN NORMAL MAST CELLS AND MACROPHAGES AND IN NEOPLASTIC MAST CELLS.

Summary Ascorbic acid and the sum of ascorbic, dehydroascorbic and diketogulonic acids in the mast cell fraction (about 92% mast cells) from peritoneal washings of normal rats, and in mouse ascites tumor mast cells (about 98% mast cells), were determined per 106 cells and per μg protein-nitrogen. Ascorbic acid (551 mμg/106 cells) comprised about 87% of the sum of the acids in the normal cells and about 98% (271 mμg/106 cells) of the sum in the tumor cells. The concentrations of ascorbic acid in the normal and tumor cells were 13 and 10 mμg/μxg protein-nitrogen, respectively. The ascorbic acid per 106 cells in the rat macrophage cell fraction (96% macrophages) was 38% of that in the mast cell fraction, while the ascorbic acid per μg protein-nitrogen in the former was 1 1/3 times that in the latter.