Abstract
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) has numerous metabolic functions that are largely dependent on its potent reducing properties. Vitamin C is conveyed from extracellular fluids into the cytoplasm by the sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters: SVCT1 (SLC23A1) and SVCT2 (SLC23A2), both of which are twelve-transmembrane proteins. Recent studies revealed the effect of SVCTs' gene polymorphisms on health and the risk of preterm birth and diseases. However, there is little information about the vitamin C transporters which discharge vitamin C present in the cytoplasm into extracellular fluids. In this paper, we review the present and future of vitamin C transporter research.
