Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of flavonoids supplement on metabolic requirement of vitamin C in young male guinea pigs. The animals fed vitamin C deficient diet as basal diet were divided into several groups. Control group was administered with ascorbic acid (AsA) and the testing groups were administered with hesperidin, hesperidin chalcone or hesperidin methyl chalcone in addition to AsA. Dose level of AsA was 1 mg/day/animal and those of hesperidin and its derivatives were 1 or 10 mg/day/animal. After 2 weeks feeding, the animals were killed and their tissues were excised. Vitamin C concentration in these tissues was determined by the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine method. No significant increase in vitamin C concentration of adrenals, spleen and liver from animals in the testing groups was observed as compared to control group. There was also no significant difference of body weight gain between control group and testing groups. These results seemed to suggest that supplementation of hesperidin, hesperidin chalcone and hesperidin methyl chalcone had no significant effect on metabolic requirement of vitamin C regardless of chemical structure of hesperidin derivatives.
