Fig. 6. Effect of L-ascorbic acid on the CuCl₂–induced p38-MAPK phosphorylation. (A) Protein (50 µg) from Rana ridibunda hearts perfused without (Con) or with 100 µmol l^–1 L-ascorbic acid (ASC) for 15 min, in the presence or absence of 500 µmol l^–1 CuCl₂, was analysed by immunoblotting with a phosphospecific anti-p38-MAPK antibody (top). Equal loading was verified by blotting identical samples with an anti-actin-specific antibody (bottom). (B) Densitometric analysis of phospho-p38-MAPK bands by laser scanning. Results are means ± s.e.m. for three independent experiments performed with similar findings. ^*P<0.05, P<0.001 vs control value.