Proposed Insights in the Pharmaco-Dynamic Theory of Ascorbate Pro-Oxidant Activity

Abstract

Ascorbate pro-drug theory promising possible effective and nontoxic treatment is intensively examined and centered on the importance of both extracellular and intra-cellular effects of ascorbate. In this study, we sought to determine the in vitro cell responsiveness in a plasma free milieu with or without an extracellular catalyst and/or hydrogen peroxide. This project brought to light how ascorbic acid would react to in a Red Blood Cell (RBC) suspension by using the two anti-oxidant pathways. We demonstrated that while ascorbate doesn’t require an extracellular metal catalyst to induce cell damage via the lipid peroxidation pathway, the protein-centered metal pathway could be enhanced by a divalent cation, hydrogen peroxide or both. The current lack of understanding of ascorbate potential mechanism excites us to propose some insights for the vitamine C pharmacologic dose pro-oxidant activity.