Injections of Vitamin C Slow Growth of Cancers in Mice

Many alternative and nutritionally oriented physicians administer large intravenous (IV) doses of vitamin C as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of cancer patients. The large amounts of vitamin C – 50 grams or more – increase hydrogen peroxide and amount to a nontoxic form of chemotherapy.

In the latest study documenting the benefits and biological mechanism of IV vitamin C, Mark Levine, MD, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health, reported the effects of vitamin C injections in laboratory mice with aggressive forms of ovarian, pancreatic, and brain (gliobastoma) cancers.

Overall, vitamin C led to a 41 to 53 percent decrease in the growth and weight of the tumors. Thirty percent of untreated mice with brain cancers experienced metastasis, but none of the mice receiving vitamin C had metastases. In addition, the vitamin C did not produce any discernible side effects in any of the mice.

The vitamin C concentrations in the mice were comparable to those achieved in two clinical trials of humans with cancer at the University of Kansas, according to Levine. Such high concentrations cannot be achieved with oral vitamin C supplements.

In related experiments on 43 types of cancer cells, Levine found that large amounts of vitamin C inhibited the growth of three-fourths of the cancers. Vitamin C had no negative effect on the five types of normal cells tested.

In the cell studies, Levine confirmed that high-dose vitamin C increased production of hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells, leading to their destruction. Normal cells make the antioxidant enzyme catalase, which protects them against hydrogen peroxide.

Reference: Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, et al. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a prooxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenographs in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008; doi:10.1073/pnas.0804226105.