Cs. Collis et al., THE EFFECTS OF ASCORBIC-ACID AND IRON CO-SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE PROLIFERATION OF 3T3 FIBROBLASTS, Free radical research, 25(1), 1996, pp. 87-93
Exposure of 3T3 fibroblasts to Fe-II reveals a concentration-dependent
inhibition of cell proliferation compared to control cells, the appar
ent threshold for this iron-mediated effect being 5 mu M Fe-II. The in
hibition of cell proliferation was accompanied by an enhancement of to
tal malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (as detected directly by hplc) in the
cells at higher iron concentrations. The co-supplementation of Fe-II
with varying concentrations of ascorbic acid over the range 5 mu M to
240 mu M had no significant effect on the threshold for iron toxicity
or lipid peroxidation. These results show that there is neither a sign
ificant exacerbation of the pro-oxidant effect of Fe-II nor any protec
tive effect of ascorbate when cultures of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts are ex
posed to co-supplementation regimes of iron with ascorbic acid.