Understanding the Therapeutic Potential of Ascorbic Acid in the Battle to Overcome Cancer

Biomolecules. 2021 Jul 31;11(8):1130. doi: 10.3390/biom11081130.

Abstract

Cancer, a fatal disease, is also one of the main causes of death worldwide. Despite various developments to prevent and treat cancer, the side effects of anticancer drugs remain a major concern. Ascorbic acid is an essential vitamin required by our bodies for normal physiological function and also has antioxidant and anticancer activity. Although the body cannot synthesize ascorbic acid, it is abundant in nature through foods and other natural sources and also exists as a nutritional food supplement. In anticancer drug development, ascorbic acid has played an important role by inhibiting the development of cancer through various mechanisms, including scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), selectively producing ROS and encouraging their cytotoxicity against tumour cells, preventing glucose metabolism, serving as an epigenetic regulator, and regulating the expression of HIF in tumour cells. Several ascorbic acid analogues have been produced to date for their anticancer and antioxidant activity. The current review summarizes the mechanisms behind ascorbic acid's antitumor activity, presents a compilation of its derivatives and their biological activity as anticancer agents, and discusses delivery systems such as liposomes, nanoparticles against cancer, and patents on ascorbic acid as anticancer agents.

Keywords: HIF; anticancer; antioxidant; ascorbic acid; cancer; epigenetic regulator; pro-oxidant.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Antioxidants / metabolism
  • Antioxidants / therapeutic use*
  • Ascorbic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Ascorbic Acid / metabolism
  • Ascorbic Acid / therapeutic use*
  • Biotransformation
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Drug Carriers / administration & dosage
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / genetics
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / genetics
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism
  • Liposomes / administration & dosage
  • Liposomes / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Patents as Topic
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • p300-CBP Transcription Factors / genetics
  • p300-CBP Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Drug Carriers
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1
  • HIF1A protein, human
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • Liposomes
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • SLC2A1 protein, human
  • p300-CBP Transcription Factors
  • Ascorbic Acid