Ascorbic Acid in Cancer: A Renewed Hope?

Bhuvana Sunil

doi:10.4172/1948-5956.1000291

Abstract

Ascorbic acid (AA), long known to treat scurvy, has had debatable use as an anti-neoplastic drug in the past. However recent in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed previously unexplored mechanisms through which AA selectively damages cancer cells without causing damage to normal cells. In view of newly emerging evidence, many clinical trials have been designed to study these effects in patients with different types of cancers. Promising results from these initial trials are giving renewed hope to the use of AA as an adjuvant to the conventional chemotherapeutic drugs to treat cancer, to alleviate toxicity from the treatment and to reduce patient morbidity.

Highlights

Vitamin C in physiological and deficiency statesWe have come a long way in our knowledge about ascorbic acid (AA), commonly referred to as vitamin C, from the year 1747, when Scottish naval surgeon James Lind discovered that a nutrient in citrus foods prevents scurvy
Despite all the debates regarding the anti-cancer effects of AA, recent evidence suggests that AA has a role in checking cancer progression from the initial selection of a malignant clone to the metastases of cancer cells and alleviating chemotherapy toxicity and decreasing morbidity of terminal cancer [36,44]
A recently conducted study showed that AA can be incorporated into solid lipid nanoparticles, which can induce cancer cell death by targeted delivery [45]

Summary

Introduction

Vitamin C in physiological and deficiency statesWe have come a long way in our knowledge about ascorbic acid (AA), commonly referred to as vitamin C, from the year 1747, when Scottish naval surgeon James Lind discovered that a nutrient in citrus foods prevents scurvy. This role of AA in the prevention of cell damage by the scavenging of ROS can be considered as the first line of defense against cancer (Figure 1, unshaded box; AA actions in blue text).

Results

Conclusion