Stability of ascorbyl palmitate molecule in the rat brain.

Recent investigations have shown the ability of ascorbyl palmitate (AP), a bioactive, lipid-soluble ester of ascorbic acid (AA), to penetrate neural tissues. This study seeks to determine the occurrence of hydrolysis of AP molecule in brain tissue, which could rather point to the action of AA alone carried over the biological barrier and then released from the AP compound. The integrity of AP molecule was examined qualitatively in the rat brain by thin-layer-chromatography. AP was injected into an internal carotid artery in a dose of 75 mg per rat after tying off the common and external carotid arteries at the same side. The rats were sacrificed 15 min later, the brain tissue was extracted with chloroform/methanol and chromatographed. The AP bands plated from the samples ipsilateral to the injection side strictly corresponded to the AP standard's location and were clearly separated from the AA standard with no overlap. The experiment showed that AP resists hydrolysis in the brain and thus the short-term biological effects of AP may be ascribed to the action of an intact ester molecule. The results may help elucidate the biological action of AP, a compound that increasingly attracts attention for biomedical use due to its antioxidant potential and ability to penetrate into the membrane signaling target sites.