Vitamin-C: properties, function and application in cancer therapy

Abstract

Vitamin-C also known as ascorbic acid and it is a water-soluble antioxidant and enzyme cofactor present in plants and some animals. Unlike most mammals, humans do not have the ability to synthesize this nutrient endogenously and, therefore, obtain it through diet. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a primary antioxidant remains in human plasma.1 While numerous animal and cell studies have shown beneficial anti-oxidant effects of AA. It is a chain breaking antioxidant and it give their effect by reacting with oxygen, hydroxyl, and superoxide radicals of the substances. It react with radicals of tocopheroxy to re-generate vitamin E.2 There are 2 chemical forms of Vitamin-C: the reduced form (ascorbic acid; AA) and the oxidized form (dehydroascorbic acid; DHA) (Figure 1).1,2