Effect of combined ascorbic acid and B-12 on survival of mice with implanted Ehrlich carcinoma and L1210 leukemia

A combination of dehydroascorbic acid and hydroxycobalamin (vitamin B-12) inhibited mitoses of tumors in mice. The present study was performed to test the effect of these vitamins on the survival of mice bearing carcinomas and leukemias. In each assay 40 mice received 0.1 mL ip tumor cells (x10(5)). After 24 h, 20 mice were injected with 0.2 mL (0.4 g/kg body wt) of the vitamins daily for 10 d. All controls died by day 19, but greater than 50% of the treated mice were alive after 60 d. In vitro findings revealed inhibition of mitoses in L1210 leukemia cells, but not in normal L929 cells. In recent research with cobalt-ascorbate plus vitamin C, we demonstrated that when B-12 is combined with vitamin C, the cobalt nucleus of B-12 attaches to a carbon on vitamin C, forming cobalt ascorbate. Tests proved that cobalt ascorbate plus vitamin C also inhibited tumor cells.