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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells
Published on: April 11, 2014
Ascorbic acid in the prevention and treatment of cancer
Ana Maria Oliveira Ferreira da Mata1, Ricardo Melo de Carvalho1, Marcus Vinícius Oliveira Barros de Alencar2
1Pharmaceutical Science Graduate Program, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, PI, Brazil.
Abstract:
This review is aimed at the systematic mapping of ascorbic acid in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer in clinical and non-clinical studies from 2011 to 2015, in order to understand dose-response variations as well as its mechanisms of action as an antioxidant and antitumor agent. Seventy-eight articles were retrieved from the PubMed/Bireme database, of which only 30 included ascorbic acid in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer. However, there are controversies regarding doses and a lack of clinical studies featuring its mechanism of action more clearly. Other studies are needed to understand dose-response variations, as well as its targeting mechanisms of action, both as an antioxidant and antitumor agent, to assist treatment and prevention of cancer, aiming at better quality of life for both patients and the general population.
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