Vitamin C in the suprarenal medulla

Abstract

IT is already known that the suprarenal gland is an extremely potent source of vitamin C, but hitherto the activity has been thought to be restricted to the cortex. In the present paper, however, it is shown that the medulla of the suprarenal is also intensely active, its potency falling but little short of that of the cortex. Our results indicate that ox suprarenal cortex has an activity of about 30 international units per gram and ox medulla of about 20 units, i.e. no less than two-thirds of the former. In other words the cortex has about thrice and the medulla about twice the potency of fresh orange juice or lemon juice (the international standard of vitamin C activity).