Vitamin C (C6H8O6) is an essential water-soluble vitamin, known as an antioxidant involved in many important metabolic processes in the body’s vital activities, necessary for the formation of collagen, oxygen sensor regulation, epigenetic reprogramming, balancing redox reactions involved in tumorigenesis, therapy, and metastasis of cancer.
1. General roles of Vitamin C [1]
Those important roles include:
– Involved in the formation of collagen (collagen): the specific function of vitamin C is to play an important role in the formation of collagen, a protein necessary to bind cells, stabilize blood vessels and important Important for the formation and protection of tissues such as skin, cartilage, blood vessels, bones and teeth. Thereby:
+ Stimulates the protection of tissues
+ Stimulates the quick healing of scars
+ Stimulates new bone formation
When this vitamin deficiency often causes bleeding gums, slow wound healing, bleeding under the skin, …

– Immunity: C6H8O6 participates in the process of creating antibodies, enhancing the activity of immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells, T lymphocytes and monocytes, thereby increasing the body’s resistance to infections. It also stimulates the synthesis of interferon – substances that prevent the entry of bacteria and viruses into the cell.
– Hematopoiesis: C6H8O6 stimulates the absorption of iron in the small intestine and stimulates the activity of hematopoietic organs.
– Prevent cancer: C6H8O6 is an antioxidant, preventing the formation of free radicals, slowing down the aging process and preventing cardiovascular diseases, when it combines with vitamin E- another antioxidant that forms an important factor in slowing the progression of some cancers.
2. The role vitamin C in cancer
Currently, new studies support the notion that high doses of Vitamin C reduce the risk of cancers of the nasopharynx, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, breast, and rectum [2, 3].
According to several studies, intravenous vitamin C injection has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of advanced malignancies [4,5].
Many mechanisms have been investigated to elucidate the role of Vitamin C in cancer treatment and prevention.
These mechanisms include increased activity of the immune system; stimulates collagen synthesis; prevent metastasis by inhibiting certain enzymatic reactions; inhibit tumor virus; overcome Vitamin C deficiency, often associated with cancer patients; rapid wound healing in cancer patients after surgery; improving the sensitivity of chemotherapy; reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy; and neutralizing some carcinogens [6].

Many recent clinical studies have shown that when tumor cells are exposed to high doses of Vitamin C, their growth stops [7,8]. Administration of Vitamin C inhibits metastasis, tumor growth, and inflammation-related cytokine production, while improving tumor inclusion and enhancing chemotherapy [9,10].
However, intravenous administration increases vitamin C concentrations more than 70-fold compared with oral administration, and the effectiveness of the therapy is inversely proportional to excess vitamin C intake [4,11]. For this reason, the optimal method of dosing and duration of treatment is still being debated.
Recently reported pharmacokinetic data have improved knowledge of Vitamin C transporter regulation and provide further evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of Vitamin C. This has raised interest in reconsidering the possibility of using Vitamin C in inhibiting cancer growth.
Despite the fact that the procedures in these reports vary, the majority of current research on Vitamin C and cancer explores the effects of high doses of Vitamin C on cancer formation and growth. , as well as the mechanisms of action that govern the anti-tumor effects of Vitamin C [12].
In addition, studies have focused on the benefits and harms of intravenous high doses of Vitamin C in the treatment of cancer. In the trial, a pharmacological dose of Vitamin C of 0.3–20 mmol/L preferentially targeted and killed cancer cells, compared with the usual physiological level of Vitamin C of 0.1 mmol/L.
This tumor-killing phenomenon is due to the antioxidant properties of Vitamin C at high concentrations, which facilitate the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which may be responsible for the anti-tumor effects of Vitamin C and its use as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer.
References:
- L. D. T. Pham Van Phu, Basic Nutrition. Medical Publishing House, 2016.
- Moertel, C.G.; Fleming, T.R.; Creagan, E.T.; Rubin, J.; O’Connell, M.J.; Ames, M.M. High-dose vitamin C versus placebo in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer who have had no prior chemotherapy. A randomized double-blind comparison. N. Engl. J. Med. 1985, 312, 137–141. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Block, G. Vitamin C and cancer prevention: The epidemiologic evidence. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1991, 53 (Suppl. 1), 270s–282s. [CrossRef]
- Loria, C.M.; Klag, M.J.; Caulfield, L.E.; Whelton, P.K. Vitamin C status and mortality in US adults. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000, 72, 139–145. [CrossRef]
- Padayatty, S.J.; Riordan, H.D.; Hewitt, S.M.; Katz, A.; Hoffer, L.J.; Levine, M. Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: Three cases. CMAJ 2006, 174, 937–942. [CrossRef] Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15, 711 25 of 33
- Dachs, G.U.; Gandhi, J.; Wohlrab, C.; Carr, A.C.; Morrin, H.R.; Pullar, J.M.; Bayer, S.B.; Eglinton, T.W.; Robinson, B.A.; Vissers, M.C.M. Vitamin C Administration by Intravenous Infusion Increases Tumor Ascorbate Content in Patients With Colon Cancer: A Clinical Intervention Study. Front. Oncol. 2021, 10, 600715. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chen, Q.; Espey, M.G.; Krishna, M.C.; Mitchell, J.B.; Corpe, C.P.; Buettner, G.R.; Shacter, E.; Levine, M. Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: Action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2005, 102, 13604–13609. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Cabanillas, F. Vitamin C and cancer: What can we conclude—1609 patients and 33 years later? Puerto Rico Health Sci. J. 2010, 29, 215–217.
- Cha, J.; Roomi, M.W.; Ivanov, V.; Kalinovsky, T.; Niedzwiecki, A.; Rath, M. Ascorbate depletion increases growth and metastasis of melanoma cells in vitamin C deficient mice. Exp. Oncol. 2011, 33, 226–230. [PubMed]
- Cha, J.; Roomi, M.W.; Ivanov, V.; Kalinovsky, T.; Niedzwiecki, A.; Rath, M. Ascorbate supplementation inhibits growth and metastasis of B16FO melanoma and 4T1 breast cancer cells in vitamin C-deficient mice. Int. J. Oncol. 2013, 42, 55–64. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Magrì, A.; Germano, G.; Lorenzato, A.; Lamba, S.; Chilà, R.; Montone, M.; Amodio, V.; Ceruti, T.; Sassi, F.; Arena, S.; et al. High-dose vitamin C enhances cancer immunotherapy. Sci. Transl. Med. 2020, 12, eaay8707. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Padayatty, S.J.; Sun, H.; Wang, Y.; Riordan, H.D.; Hewitt, S.M.; Katz, A.; Wesley, R.A.; Levine, M. Vitamin C pharmacokinetics: Implications for oral and intravenous use. Ann. Intern. Med. 2004, 140, 533–537. [CrossRef]
Article source: Nutrition Research and Development Institute (https://inrd.vn/)
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