Repositioning vitamin C as a promising option for alleviating the complications associated with COVID-19

Abstract

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin with pleiotropic functions, ranging from antioxidant to antiviral function. Numerous evidence suggests that vitamin C fights off inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy chaos, and immune dysfunction. The ability to activate and enhance immune system makes this vitamin a prospective therapeutic agent amid the current situation of COVID-19. Being highly effective against influenza virus causing common cold, vitamin C can also function against SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19. Severe infections need higher doses of the vitamin to compensate for the augmented inflammatory response and metabolic demand that commonly occur during COVID-19. Compelling evidence also suggests that a high dose of vitamin C (1.5 g/kg body weight) in inflammatory conditions can result in effective clinical outcomes and thus can be employed to combat COVID-19. However, further studies are crucial to delineate the underlying mechanism of vitamin C action against COVID-19. The current effort was aimed at repositioning vitamin C for developing a novel approach for alleviating COVID-19-associated complications.