Intravenous ascorbic acid
Intravenous ascorbic acid | |
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Other names | Vitamin C, Ascorbate, L-ascorbic acid |
ICD-10-PCS | Z51.81 |
ICD-9-CM | 267 |
This article is part of a series on |
Alternative medicine |
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Intravenous Ascorbic Acid (also known as vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid), is a process that delivers soluble
The use of intravenous ascorbic acid as a proposed cancer treatment or co-treatment has been a controversial topic since the emergence of misleading data in the 1970s.[2]
Contraindications
High doses of ascorbic acid administered by intravenous infusion have been shown to increase the absorption of
High dosages of ascorbic acid (such as those used in intravenous therapy) have been reported to cause some intestinal discomfort, diarrhoea, as well as increased gas and urination.[5]
Alternative medicine and unproven applications
Sepsis
The "Marik protocol", or "HAT" protocol, as devised by
People in sepsis may have micronutrient deficiencies, including low levels of vitamin C.[12] Reviews mention that an intake of 3.0 g/day via intravenous administration may needed to maintain normal plasma concentrations.[13][14] Sepsis mortality is reduced with administration of intravenous vitamin C.[15]
Pharmacology
Mechanism of action
Ascorbic acid operates as an anti-oxidant and essential enzyme cofactor in the human body. In in vitro studies, the primary mechanism of high dosage intravenous ascorbic acid can be related to ascorbic acid's pro-oxidant activity, whereby hydrogen peroxide is formed.[16][17][18] In the extracellular fluid of cells, ascorbic acid dissociates into an ascorbate radical upon the reduction of transition metal ions, such as ferric or cupric cations.[16] These transition metal ions will then reduce dissolved oxygen into a superoxide radical – this will then react with hydrogen to form hydrogen peroxide.[17]
Furthermore, according to
History
Pioneering research
Although the pharmacology of ascorbic acid had been studied since its discovery in the 1930s,[20] the method of administration and its medicinal potential to human patients was not investigated until the 1940s.[21] In 1949, American physician, Frederick Klenner, published his scientific report, “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with ascorbic acid”,[22] which detailed the use of intravenous ascorbic acid to treat polio in children.[21] Klenner's research pioneered future studies investigating the medicinal role of intravenous ascorbic acid. Klenner's work was recognised by Linus Pauling in the foreword to the Clinical Guide: "Dr. Fred Klenner's early research reports provide much information on the use of high-dose ascorbic acid for the prevention and cure of many diseases, and these reports are still important."[23]
Linus Pauling
Subsequent studies by Pauling and Cameron hypothesised that ascorbic acid's role in enhanced collagen production would lead to the encapsulation of tumours and thus, protect normal tissue from
Medical controversy
The efficacy of intravenous ascorbic acid therapy came under scrutiny of the medical and science community, following the numerous high-profile studies authored by Linus Pauling in the 1970s.[18] The experimental design of Pauling and Cameron's 1976 publication, "Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer",[24] had garnered considerable criticism as it was neither randomised nor placebo controlled. To test the validity of Pauling and Cameron's findings, the Mayo Clinic conducted three independent experiments in 1979, 1983 and 1985, whereby terminal cancer patients were given doses of oral ascorbic acid under randomised, double bind and placebo-controlled conditions.[29][30][31] All studies concluded that high doses of oral ascorbic acid were not effective against cancer.
The use of intravenous ascorbic acid in the treatment of cancer has been a contentious issue. There is no evidence to indicate that intravenous ascorbic acid therapy can cure cancer.[32][31] According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), high-dose vitamin C (such as intravenous ascorbic acid therapy) has not been approved as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition.[1]
There many been multiple studies devoted to investigating the medicinal properties of ascorbic acid. The use of high-dosage intravenous ascorbic acid as a cancer treatment was first promoted by Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron in the 1970s;[24][25] however, these findings were not reproduced using oral administration by subsequent Mayo Clinic studies in the 1980s.[29][30][31] In 2010, an academic review which detailed 33 years of ascorbic acid and cancer research stated: "we still do not know whether Vitamin C has any clinically significant anti-tumor activity. Nor do we know which histological types of cancers, if any, are susceptible to this agent. Finally, we don't know what the recommended dose of Vitamin C is, if there is indeed such a dose, that can produce an anti-tumor response".[33]
Research
The turn of the 21st century saw a renewed interest in the medical potential of intravenous ascorbic acid therapy. In the early 2010s, in vitro preclinical and clinical trials were undertaken to investigate the pharmacological mechanism of action of intravenous ascorbic acid therapy.[34][35] These findings demonstrated ascorbic acid's pro-oxidant capabilities to produce hydrogen peroxide and thus, proposed a possible pharmacological mechanism of action against cancer cells. Nonetheless, ascorbic acid's potential as an anti-tumour therapy is still dubious, as other pro-oxidant substances (such as menadione[36][37]) have been unsuccessful in the treatment of cancer patients.[38]
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Vitamin C Foundation – 514071 – 04/17/2017". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
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- ^ "The Marik Protocol: Have We Found a "Cure" for Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock?". Rebel EM – Emergency Medicine Blog. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
- ^ "Vitamin C Drug Cocktail for Sepsis". HealthManagement. July 9, 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
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- ^ ""Ethically and morally unacceptable": Reaction to vitamin C for sepsis trial". Dietary supplements, Nutraceuticals, Functional foods, Health ingredients, Herbals. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
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- ^ a b "Intravenous Vitamin C: The Historical Progression". PaulingBlog. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C". www.seanet.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C". www.seanet.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
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- ^ a b Tschetter L, Creagan E, O'Fallon J (1983). "A community-based study of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in patients with advanced cancer". Proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 2: 92.
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