ReviewBiochimica et biophysica acta2012
Ascorbic acid: chemistry, biology and the treatment of cancer.
Review in Biochimica et biophysica acta, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 395 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Phase I Trial of High-Dose Ascorbate in Glioblastoma Multiforme
Gemcitabine, Ascorbate, Radiation Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer, Phase I
Who cites it
395 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,056 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antiglycoxidative properties of amantadine - a systematic review and comprehensive in vitro study.Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of vitamins C and E on cancer survival; a systematic review.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2022Pooled it
- The Effect of Perioperative Vitamin C on Postoperative Analgesic Consumption: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of intravenous vitamin C administration on chemotherapy-induced adverse events in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Addition of Vitamin C Does Not Decrease Neuron-Specific Enolase Levels in Adult Survivors of Cardiac Arrest-Results of a Randomized Trial.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Trial
- Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Intravenous Vitamin C: A Classic Pharmacokinetic Study.Clinical pharmacokinetics · 2022Trial
- Relationship Between Hypovitaminosis C, Obesity, and Features of Metabolic Syndrome-A Narrative Review.Nutrition reviews · 2026Review
- Antioxidants in Oxidative Stress and Obesity-Associated Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Health Implications.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Exploiting vitamin C as a prooxidant to activate ROS-responsive prodrugs for potent and selective tumor killing.Redox biology · 2026Article
- A review of the iron requirements and its determination in commercial poultry.Animal nutrition (Zhongguo xu mu shou yi xue hui) · 2026Review
- Crystal structure of rice L-galactose dehydrogenase.Acta crystallographica. Section F, Structural biology communications · 2026Article
- Beyond redox: vitamin C in signaling, epigenetic regulation and protein modification-relevance to cancer therapy.Clinical epigenetics · 2026Review
- Artificial Transmembrane Channels for Selective Ascorbic Acid Transport and Bioorthogonal Signal Transduction.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026Article
- Association of Vitamin C Supplementation and Genetic Susceptibility with Multiple Sclerosis Risk: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- MoNanoscale advances · 2026Article
- The Illusion of Simplicity: The Dramatic Failure of Koopmans' Theorem for Antioxidants in Solvents-The Ascorbic Acid Paradigm.Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry · 2026Article
- Pharmacological Ascorbate Restrains Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Invasion in Glioblastoma Cells via Extracellular HInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Effect of antioxidant solutions on the prevention and elimination of para-chloroaniline in root canals: an in vitro study.Odontology · 2026Article
- Role of iron and TfR1 in the application of high‑dose ascorbate against pancreatic cancer.Oncology reports · 2026Article
- An Antioxidant Cocktail ofAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
335 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Since the discovery of vitamin C, the number of its known biological functions is continually expanding. Both the names ascorbic acid and vitamin C reflect its antiscorbutic properties due to its role in the synthesis of collagen in connective tissues. Ascorbate acts as an electron-donor keeping iron in the ferrous state thereby maintaining the full activity of collagen hydroxylases; parallel reactions with a variety of dioxygenases affect the expression of a wide array of genes, for example via the HIF system, as well as via the epigenetic landscape of cells and tissues. In fact, all known physiological and biochemical functions of ascorbate are due to its action as an electron donor. The ability to donate one or two electrons makes AscH(-) an excellent reducing agent and antioxidant. Ascorbate readily undergoes pH-dependent autoxidation producing hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). In the presence of catalytic metals this oxidation is accelerated. In this review, we show that the chemical and biochemical nature of ascorbate contribute to its antioxidant as well as its prooxidant properties. Recent pharmacokinetic data indicate that intravenous (i.v.) administration of ascorbate bypasses the tight control of the gut producing highly elevated plasma levels; ascorbate at very high levels can act as prodrug to deliver a significant flux of H(2)O(2) to tumors. This new knowledge has rekindled interest and spurred new research into the clinical potential of pharmacological ascorbate. Knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of action of pharmacological ascorbate bring a rationale to its use to treat disease especially the use of i.v. delivery of pharmacological ascorbate as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.