Perspectives About Ascorbic Acid to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Drug Res (Stuttg) DOI: 10.1055/a-2263-1388It is known that reactive oxygen species cause abnormal immune responses in the
gut during inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Therefore, oxidative stress has
been theorized as an agent of IBD development and antioxidant compounds such as
vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) have been studied as a new tool to treat IBD.
Therefore, the potential of vitamin C to treat IBD was reviewed here as a
critical discussion about this field and guide future research. Indeed, some
preclinical studies have shown the beneficial effects of vitamin C in models of
ulcerative colitis in mice and clinical and experimental findings have shown
that deficiency in this vitamin is associated with the development of IBD and
its worsening. The main mechanisms that may be involved in the activity of
ascorbic acid in IBD include its well-established role as an antioxidant, but
also others diversified actions. However, some experimental studies employed
high doses of vitamin C and most of them did not perform dose-response curves
and neither determined the minimum effective dose nor the ED50.
Allometric extrapolations were also not made. Also, clinical studies on the
subject are still in their infancy. Therefore, it is suggested that the research
agenda in this matter covers experimental studies that assess the effec...

Source: Drug Research - March 11, 2024 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Andriolo, Ian Richard Lucena Venzon, Larissa da Silva, Luisa Mota Tags: Review Source Type: research