New aspects of vitamin C during the prenatal period of development

Abstract

Every vitamin deficiency leads to a cascade of reactions that ultimately result in the development of the disease. Vitamin C is synthesized from glucose in the liver of most mammals, while in humans, non-human primates and guinea pigs (Cavia porcelus), this is not the case.  Namely, due to the evolutionary loss of the gene for the synthesis of L-gulonolactone oxidase (Gulo gene), the endogenous synthesis of vitamin C was stopped so that these mammals have to take vitamin C to survive. Vitamin C is directly involved in collagen synthesis and severe disturbance in the survey, representing a postnatal form of this vitamin deficiency. Although a consequence of postnatal vitamin C deficiency is relatively clear, there is still insufficient data for the prenatal period. Recent data indicate the importance of collagen in basal membrane integrity and possible its disturbance in vitamin C depletion. We developed a novel guinea pig model of prenatal pial basal membrane disturbance during prenatal deprivation of Vitamin C. Results indicated that disturbance of collagen synthesis induced breaches in the pial basement membrane. Consequentially, Bergman glia connection is lost, neurons migration disturbance with developing dysplasia of cerebellar cortex take place which can found in Lissencephaly type II. The fact that neither humans nor guinea pigs can synthesize vitamin C creates an opportunity for further research into the impact of prenatal deprivation of vitamin C in developing neuron migration disorders.