Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an important nutrient for human health and disease cures, and it is also a crucial indicator for the quality of fruit and vegetables. As a reductant, AsA plays a pivotal role in maintaining the intracellular redox balance throughout all the stages of plant growth and development, fruit ripening, and abiotic stress responses. In recent years, the de novo synthesis and regulation at the transcriptional level and post-transcriptional level of AsA in plants have been studied relatively thoroughly. However, a comprehensive and systematic summary about AsA-involved biochemical pathways, as well as AsA’s physiological functions in plants, is still lacking. In this review, we summarize and discuss the multiple physiological and biochemical functions of AsA in plants, including its involvement as a cofactor, substrate, antioxidant, and pro-oxidant. This review will help to facilitate a better understanding of the multiple functions of AsA in plant cells, as well as provide information on how to utilize AsA more efficiently by using modern molecular biology methods.

中文翻译：

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抗坏血酸在植物生长、发育和非生物胁迫反应中的多种生理和生化功能

抗坏血酸（AsA）是人体健康和治疗疾病的重要营养素，也是果蔬品质的重要指标。作为还原剂，AsA 在植物生长发育、果实成熟和非生物胁迫反应的所有阶段维持细胞内氧化还原平衡中发挥着关键作用。近年来，植物中AsA的从头合成及转录水平和转录后水平的调控研究较为深入。然而，对于AsA参与的生化途径以及AsA在植物中的生理功能仍缺乏全面、系统的总结。在这篇综述中，我们总结并讨论了 AsA 在植物中的多种生理和生化功能，包括其作为辅因子、底物、抗氧化剂和促氧化剂的作用。本综述将有助于更好地了解 AsA 在植物细胞中的多种功能，并提供有关如何通过现代分子生物学方法更有效地利用 AsA 的信息。