Intravenous vitamin C for reduction of cytokines storm in acute respiratory distress syndrome

[Health and Medicine]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7172861/

Over the past century, the opinion that Vit-C can be used to treat cancer and viral infection has shown promises and controversies. There are cases where high dose Vit-C has shown benefits. In some cases, there have been no benefits. However, new knowledge regarding the pharmacokinetic properties of Vit-C, and recent preclinical studies, have revived interest in the utilization of high-dose Vit-C for cancer treatment [^{[132], [133], [134], [135], [136], [137], [138], [139], [140], [141], [142], [143], [144], [145]}]. Similar is the case of using IV Vit-C as antiviral, especially for the recent Covid19 [^{[146], [147], [148], [149], [150]}]. It is believed that IV Vit-C has been particularly effective by inhibiting the production of cytokines storm due to Corvid19.

Covid19 pneumonia is an extremely rapidly developing disease with a high mortality rate. The main pathogenesis is the acute lung injury that causes ARDS and death. Antioxidants should have a role in the management of these conditions. Appropriate clinical studies and reports demonstrate that a timely administration of high dose IV Vit-C improves the outcome of Covid19 infection.

Additional studies detailing the use of IV Vit-C for the treatment of severe Covid19 infected pneumonia are definitively warranted. Covid19 may continue to happen in the future. Since the development of clinically active vaccines or antiviral drugs targeting specific diseases may take a long time to develop, the use of IV Vit-C as a universal agent for ARDS may have benefits behind Covid19. Additional clinical studies of the IV Vit-C and oral VC (such as liposomal-encapsulated VC) targeting other situations through different mechanisms are required to develop as soon as possible.