Vitamin C as antioxidant and prooxidant

L-askorbinska kiselina, poznata pod imenom vitamin C, jedan je od najproučavanijih vitamina današnjice zbog izrazito povoljnih učinaka na organizam. Ljudski organizam ne može sintetizirati vitamin C te ga je stoga potrebno svakodnevno unositi hranom putem raznovrsnog voća i povrća. Svakodnevni unos vitamina C u određenoj dozi, ali i intravenozna primjena, predmet je brojnih in vitro i in vivo istraživanja. Takva istraživanja provode se s ciljem utvrđivanja antioksidacijskog i prooksidacijskog učinka ovog vitamina na ljudski organizam. Naime, kao antioksidans, vitamin C neutralizira slobodne radikale na način da im donira vodik i stabilizira ih. Slobodni radikali uzrokuju mnoge bolesti, a upravo vitamin C omogućuje borbu protiv istih. Osim kao antioksidans, u određenim uvjetima djeluje i kao prooksidans jer proizvodi vodikov peroksid koji je citotoksičan. To njegovo svojstvo se koristi u liječenju raka zbog toga jer vodikov peroksid ubija stanice raka bez da čini štetu zdravim stanicama organizma.L-ascorbic acid, known as vitamin C, is one of the most studied vitamins today due to its extremely beneficial effects on the body. The human body cannot synthesize vitamin C and therefore it is necessary to take it daily through food through a variety of fruits and vegetables. Daily intake of vitamin C in a certain dose, but also intravenous administration, is the subject of numerous in vitro and in vivo studies. Such research is conducted with the aim of determining the antioxidant and prooxidative effect of this vitamin on the human body. Namely, as an antioxidant, vitamin C neutralizes free radicals by donating hydrogen and stabilizing them. Free radicals cause many dangerous diseases, and vitamin C helps to fight them. Apart from being an antioxidant, under certain conditions it also acts as a prooxidant because it produces hydrogen peroxide which is cytotoxic. This property is used in the treatment of cancer because hydrogen peroxide kills cancer cells without doing damage to healthy cells of the body