Vitamin C in Health: Scientific focus on its anti-cancer efficacy | CM & NH Journal. Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is an undisputable essential vitamin for human health with antioxidant and anti-cancer properties among others. It is a cofactor for a number of metabolic enzymes and has enormous health benefits. Extensive epidemiological, in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies consistently and strongly suggest the benefits of Vitamin C use in cancer treatment.
Epidemiological studies have shown that people consuming a diet rich in Vitamin C are less likely to develop cancer. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that vitamin C kills cancer cells while simultaneously supporting normal cells and tissues. Keywords Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, cancer, epidemiology, in vitro, in vivo, clinical studies, nutrient mixture.
Correspondence to Dr. Sorry. a8490c247984ce33f07b9d3bf041ec2ca29b. Pharmacokinetics of vitamin C: insights into the oral and intravenous administration of ascorbate. - PubMed - NCBI. Ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations selectively generates ascorbate radical and hydrogen peroxide in extracellular fluid in vivo. - PubMed - NCBI. Weekly ascorbic acid infusion in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients: a single-arm phase II trial. - PubMed - NCBI. Treatment of pancreatic cancer with intravenous vitamin C: a case report. - PubMed - NCBI. Vitamin C preferentially kills cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma via SVCT-2. - PubMed - NCBI. Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer with Pharmacological Ascorbate. - PubMed - NCBI. Ascorbic Acid in Cancer Treatment: Let the Phoenix Fly. - PubMed - NCBI. Intravenous Vitamin C for Cancer Therapy – Identifying the Current Gaps in Our Knowledge.
Pharmacological Ascorbate as a Means of Sensitizing Cancer Cells to Radio-Chemotherapy While Protecting Normal Tissue. - PubMed - NCBI. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a prooxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenografts in mice. - PubMed - NCBI. 2. Acute Oxalate Nephropathy After Massive Ascorbic Acid Administration | May 01, 1985 | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network. High dose concentration administration of ascorbic acid inhibits tumor growth in BALB/C mice implanted with sarcoma 180 cancer cells via the restriction of angiogenesis. The return of the revenge of high dose vitamin C for cancer « Science-Based Medicine. Somehow, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore—except that we are, as you will soon see. Because I’m the resident cancer specialist on this blog, it usually falls on me to discuss the various bits of science, pseudoscience, and quackery that come up around the vast collection of diseases known collectively as “cancer.”
I don’t mind, any more than my esteemed colleague Dr. Crislip minds discussing infectious diseases and, of course, vaccines, the most effective tool there is to prevent said infectious diseases. In any case, there are certain things that can happen during a week leading up to my Monday posting slot on SBM that are the equivalent of the Bat Signal. Call them the Cancer Signal, if you will. One of these happened last week, thus displacing that post I’ve been meaning to write on a particular topic once again. In any case, this week’s Cancer Signal consisted of a series of articles and news reports with titles like: These stories, to varying degrees, miss the point. Vitamin C strikes (out) again « Science-Based Medicine. I didn’t think I’d be revisiting this topic again so soon.
After all, I wrote one of my characteristic magnum opuses (opi?) Less than two months ago, when I asked whether a recent animal study had vindicated Linus Pauling’s belief that high dose vitamin C is a highly effective cancer treatment. After that tsunami of verbiage that can only be exceeded by my fellow blogger Dr. Atwood when he’s on a roll doing a multipart deconstruction of some woo or other, I thought it would be best to give it a rest for a while. I guess less than two months will have to be enough. The reason struck me as I was perusing the very latest issue of Cancer Research, hot off the presses October 1. Once more into the fray! Of course, as I pointed out before, every time there’s a study suggesting that “vitamin C might work after all,” the press go ga-ga all over it.
Crickets chirping. Yes, the silence was deafening. So what did the researchers do? Dr. Same as it ever was. Ascorbic acid: Chemistry, biology and the treatment of cancer. Intravenous Vitamin C Published Clinical Results by Other Groups. This phase I clinical trial evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of high-dose intravenous (i.v.) ascorbic acid as a monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors refractory to standard therapy. Five cohorts of three patients received i.v. ascorbic acid administered at 1 g/min for 4 consecutive days/week for 4 weeks, starting at 30 g/m(2) in the first cohort. For subsequent cohorts, dose was increased by 20 g/m(2) until a maximum tolerated dose was found. Ascorbic acid was eliminated by simple first-order kinetics.
Half-life and clearance values were similar for all patients of all cohorts (2.0 ± 0.6 h, 21 ± 5 dL/h m(2), respectively). C max and AUC values increased proportionately with dose between 0 and 70 g/m(2), but appeared to reach maximal values at 70 g/m(2) (49 mM and 220 h mM, respectively). Doses of 70, 90, and 110 g/m(2) maintained levels at or above 10-20 mM for 5-6 h. Source Abstract Review Articles. Phytoagents for Cancer Management: Regulation of Nucleic Acid Oxidation, ROS, and Related Mechanisms. Vitamin C - What You Don't Know May Kill You AND Why The USDA Is Wrong. Levine AA Cancer H2O2.pdf. Vitamin C and cancer revisited. Intravenous Vitamin C Administration Improves Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients during Chemo-/Radiotherapy and Aftercare: Results of a Retrospective, Multicentre, Epidemiological Cohort Study in Germany.
+ Author Affiliations Correspondence to: Professor Dr. med Josef Beuth, Institute for Naturopathy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9/Building 35a, D-50931 Cologne, Germany. Tel: +49 2214786414, Fax.: +49 2214787017, e-mail: hans.beuth@uk-koeln.de and Claudia Vollbracht, Pascoe pharmazeutische Präparate GmbH, D-35383 Giessen, Germany. Tel: +49 64179600, Fax: +49 6417960123, e-mail: claudia.vollbracht@pascoe.de Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate under praxis conditions the safety and efficacy of intravenous (i.v.) vitamin C administration in the first postoperative year of women with breast cancer.
Patients and Methods: Epidemiological multicentre cohort study, including 15 gynaecologists and general practitioners representatively distributed in Germany. Data from 125 breast cancer patients in UICC stages IIa to IIIb were selected for the study. Received June 21, 2011. Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer. A Systematic Review Dugald Seely, Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, 29 Bayswater Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Y 2E5. Email: dseely@oicc.ca Abstract Background. Intravenous vitamin C (IVC) is a contentious adjunctive cancer therapy, widely used in naturopathic and integrative oncology settings. Article Notes Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Some of the authors (DS, HF, GF, LK, LW) work at clinics that provide intravenous vitamin C thus a perceived conflict of interest may be inferred.
. © The Author(s) 2014. Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: Action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of Americawww.pnas.org Author Affiliations Communicated by J. E. Rall, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, August 2, 2005 (received for review June 1, 2005) Abstract Human pharmacokinetics data indicate that i.v. ascorbic acid (ascorbate) in pharmacologic concentrations could have an unanticipated role in cancer treatment.
Our goals here were to test whether ascorbate killed cancer cells selectively, and if so, to determine mechanisms, using clinically relevant conditions. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C, ascorbate) has a controversial history in cancer treatment (1). Given its potential safety and benefit, there is merit in investigating i.v. ascorbate as a possible novel cancer treatment modality. We studied ascorbate at physiologic (0.1 mM) and pharmacologic (0.3-20 mM) concentrations using 1-h incubations to mimic clinical i.v. use (7-9). Materials and Methods Cells and Reagents. Cell Death. Quantitative Procedures. High-Dose Vitamin C. Intravenous Vitamin C Administration Improves Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients during Chemo-/Radiotherapy and Aftercare: Results of a Retrospective, Multicentre, Epidemiological Cohort Study in Germany. + Author Affiliations Correspondence to: Professor Dr. med Josef Beuth, Institute for Naturopathy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9/Building 35a, D-50931 Cologne, Germany.
Tel: +49 2214786414, Fax.: +49 2214787017, e-mail: hans.beuth@uk-koeln.de and Claudia Vollbracht, Pascoe pharmazeutische Präparate GmbH, D-35383 Giessen, Germany. Tel: +49 64179600, Fax: +49 6417960123, e-mail: claudia.vollbracht@pascoe.de Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate under praxis conditions the safety and efficacy of intravenous (i.v.) vitamin C administration in the first postoperative year of women with breast cancer. Received June 21, 2011. h2rc2.com/cancer/page2/page7/assets/IVVitaminCGerman.pdf.
Ascorbic acid: Chemistry, biology and the treatment of cancer. omicsonline.org/vitamin-c-in-cancer-treatment-where-pharmacokinetics-speaks-2157-7609.1000e107.pdf. www.actabp.pl/pdf/1_2001/233-240s.pdf. High-dose Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Therapy in the Treatment of Patients with Advanced Cancer. Genetics and Molecular Biology - Anticlastogenic effect of vitamin C on cisplatin in vivo. Short Communication Anticlastogenic effect of vitamin C on cisplatin in vivo Lusânia M. Greggi Antunes, Joana D.C. Darin and Maria de Lourdes P. Bianchi Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14041-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.
The ability of vitamin C (VC) to protect against the clastogenic action of the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (DDP, cis-diamminedichloroplatinun II) in rat bone marrow cells was evaluated. Free radical-mediated reactions are responsible for a wide range of chemotherapy-induced side effects, and antioxidants are able to protect non-malignant cells and organs against damage by cytostatic agents (Weijl et al., 1997).
Much attention has been given to the possible role that antioxidants play in protecting against DDP-induced toxicity in mammalian systems (Baldew et al., 1989; Bogin et al., 1994; Appenroth et al., 1997). Animals and chemicals. Effects of high doses of vitamins C and E against doxorubicin-induced chromosomal damage in Wistar rat bone marrow cells. Abstract Doxorubicin (DXR) is one of the major antitumoral agents available for clinical use. In addition to intercalating into the DNA molecule, this drug generates free radicals. Vitamins C (VC) and E (VE) can protect normal cells from the damage caused by radicals without interfering with the cytotoxicity of DXR against tumors.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible protective effect of VC and/or VE on mammalian cells treated with DXR in vivo. Animals treated with the lowest doses of VC and/or VE, alone or in combination, plus a single dose of DXR presented a statistically significant reduction in total number of chromosome aberrations and in number of abnormal metaphases. The highest vitamin doses tested caused no changes in the parameters analyzed when compared with control. Keywords Vitamin C; Vitamin E; Doxorubicin; Chromosomal aberration; Rat Copyright © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.
Protective effect of doxorubicin in vitamin C or dimethyl sulfoxide against skin ulceration in the pig. Background: Accidental extravasation of doxorubicin leads to skin necrosis and significant morbidity. Based on our previous work in the rat, we hypothesized that the free radical scavengers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and vitamin C prevent doxorubicin-induced skin ulcers in white swine. Methods: Fifteen white swine were anesthetized and injected with 0.5 mg of doxorubicin (1 mg/ml) intradermally delivered in saline, 10% DMSO, 20% DMSO, vitamin C (1 mg/ml), or vitamin C in 20% DMSO. Presence of skin ulceration and ulcer size, in the two greatest dimensions, was determined weekly for 3 weeks.
Results: Delivery of doxorubicin in DMSO and/or vitamin C lowered the ulcer incidence from 87% to 27% (p<0.0001) when compared with delivery in saline. Conclusion: We conclude that the free radical scavengers DMSO and vitamin C are capable of lowering the incidence of doxorubicin-induced skin ulcers and could significantly lessen the morbidity associated with doxorubicin extravasation. Vitamins C and K3 Sensitize Human Urothelial Tumors to Gemcitabine. Purpose We evaluated the antitumor effects of vitamins C and K3 for human urothelial carcinoma and the potential use of the combination of vitamins C plus K3 as a sensitizing agent for conventional chemotherapy for urothelial carcinoma.
Materials and Methods The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of vitamin C alone, vitamin K3 alone, vitamins C plus K3, gemcitabine alone and gemcitabine plus vitamins C plus K3 were assessed in vitro by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry. For in vivo studies we implanted UMUC-14 tumorigenic urothelial carcinoma cells into the subcutis of nude mice. One week later we treated 10 mice each with saline (control), vitamins C plus K3, gemcitabine or gemcitabine plus vitamins C plus K3. Treatment was continued for 4 weeks, followed by necropsy. Results Vitamins C plus K3 induced cytostasis and caused apoptosis to a greater degree than either vitamin alone (p <0.05).
Key Words. Anticlastogenic effect of Vitamin C on cisplatin induced chromosome aberrations in human lymphocyte cultures. Abstract Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant that can scavenge free radicals and protect cellular macromolecules, including DNA, from oxidative damage induced by different agents. The protective effect of Vitamin C on cisplatin induced chromosome aberrations has been determined in the human peripheral lymphocyte chromosome aberration test in vitro. The results of treatments with Vitamin C indicated that it statistically significantly decreases the number of chromosome aberrations and number of metaphases with aberrations induced with cisplatin, but it can not completely protect cells from damage.
The test concentrations of Vitamin C (10 and 100 μg/ml) had a limited antimutagen effect on cisplatin (0.5 μg/ml), which can cause genetic damage through free radical mechanisms. The antimutagen effect included the anticlastogenic effect of Vitamin C and its ability to decrease the number of aneuploid mitoses. Keywords Vitamin C; Cisplatin; Chromosomal aberrations; Anticlastogen. The effect of intratympanic vitamin C administration on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) improves the antineoplastic activity of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel in human breast carcinoma cells in vitro. Abstract Utilizing a microplate ATP bioluminescence assay, two human breast carcinoma cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, were tested against doxorubicin (DOX), cisplatin (DDP), and paclitaxel (Tx) alone and in combination with ascorbic acid (Vit C).
In both cell lines, Vit C exhibited cytotoxic activity at high concentrations (i.e. 102–103 μM). Both cell lines also were resistant to DOX. MCF-7 was found to be DDP-resiseant, MDA-MB-231 was moderately sensitive to DDP. Both cell lines were strongly sensitive to Tx. Vit C both at non-cytotoxic (1 μM) and moderately cytotoxic concentrations (102μM) improved the cytotoxicity of DOX, DDP, and Tx significantly. Keywords Ascorbic acid (vitamin C); ATP bioluminescence assay; Breast cancer; Cisplatin; Doxorubicin; Paclitaxel. Vitamin C Antagonizes the Cytotoxic Effects of Antineoplastic Drugs. + Author Affiliations Requests for reprints: Mark L.
Heaney, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021. Phone: 212-639-2275; Fax: 646-422-0640; E-mail: heaneym@mskcc.org. Abstract Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that has been hypothesized to antagonize the effects of reactive oxygen species–generating antineoplastic drugs. The therapeutic efficacy of the widely used antineoplastic drugs doxorubicin, cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate, and imatinib were compared in leukemia (K562) and lymphoma (RL) cell lines with and without pretreatment with dehydroascorbic acid, the commonly transported form of vitamin C.
Footnotes Note: Supplementary data for this article are available at Cancer Research Online ( ©2008 American Association for Cancer Research. Suppression of tumor growth and metastasis by dietary fish oil combined with vitamins E and C and cisplatin. Intravenous Vitamin C Administration Improves Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients during Chemo-/Radiotherapy and Aftercare: Results of a Retrospective, Multicentre, Epidemiological Cohort Study in Germany.
integrativeveterinarycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FDA-seeks-to-limit-IV-vitamin-C-production-for-IV-therapy.pdf. Vitamin C Injections Slow Tumor Growth in Mice, August 4, 2008 News Release. Cancer Therapies | Integrative Veterinary Center. integrativeveterinarycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/vit_c_cancer_review.pdf. The Science of Vitamin C and Cancer: www.rath.co.uk/pdf-files/cancer_review_screen.pdf. Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: Action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases. Tribute to Pioneers. Vitamin C Study Could Impact Mesothelioma Treatment, According to Surviving Mesothelioma.