Antioxidants (May 2024)

Review of the Potential Role of Ascorbate in the Prevention and Treatment of Gynecological Cancers

  • Xiaochang Shen,
  • Jiandong Wang,
  • Boer Deng,
  • Ziyi Zhao,
  • Shuning Chen,
  • Weimin Kong,
  • Chunxiao Zhou,
  • Victoria Bae-Jump

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13050617
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 5
p. 617

Abstract

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Ascorbate (vitamin C) is an essential vitamin for the human body and participates in various physiological processes as an important coenzyme and antioxidant. Furthermore, the role of ascorbate in the prevention and treatment of cancer including gynecological cancer has gained much more interest recently. The bioavailability and certain biological functions of ascorbate are distinct in males versus females due to differences in lean body mass, sex hormones, and lifestyle factors. Despite epidemiological evidence that ascorbate-rich foods and ascorbate plasma concentrations are inversely related to cancer risk, ascorbate has not demonstrated a significant protective effect in patients with gynecological cancers. Adequate ascorbate intake may have the potential to reduce the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and high-risk HPV persistence status. High-dose ascorbate exerts antitumor activity and synergizes with chemotherapeutic agents in preclinical cancer models of gynecological cancer. In this review, we provide evidence for the biological activity of ascorbate in females and discuss the potential role of ascorbate in the prevention and treatment of ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers.

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