Open AccessVitamin C Transporters, Recycling and the Bystander Effect in the Nervous System: SVCT2 versus Gluts
Author(s) -
Francisco Nualart,
Lauren C. Mack,
A. García,
Pedro Cisternas,
Bongarzone Er,
Marius Heitzer,
Nery Jara,
Fernando Martínez Martínez,
Luciano Ferrada,
Francisca Espinoza,
Baeza,
Katterine Salazar
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of stem cell research and therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2157-7633
DOI - 10.4172/2157-7633.1000209
Subject(s) - choroid plexus , glucose transporter , vitamin c , blood–brain barrier , transporter , biology , reactive oxygen species , central nervous system , bystander effect , organic cation transport proteins , endocrinology , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , immunology , gene , insulin
Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient in the human diet; its deficiency leads to a number of symptoms and ultimately death. After entry into cells within the central nervous system (CNS) through sodium vitamin C transporters (SVCTs) and facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs), vitamin C functions as a neuromodulator, enzymatic cofactor, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger; it also stimulates differentiation. In this review, we will compare the molecular and structural aspects of vitamin C and glucose transporters and their expression in endothelial or choroid plexus cells, which form part of the blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, respectively. Additionally, we will describe SVCT and GLUT expression in different cells of the brain as well as SVCT2 distribution in tanycytes and astrocytes of the hypothalamic region. Finally, we will describe vitamin C recycling in the brain, which is mediated by a metabolic interaction between astrocytes and neurons, and the role of the “bystander effect” in the recycling mechanism of vitamin C in both normal and pathological conditions.