Antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity of Vitamin C in oral environment

Antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity of Vitamin C in oral environment

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Context: Antioxidant properties and Vitamin C.Background: Vitamin C is a naturally occurring organic compound and a potent antioxidant preventing oxidative damage to lipids and other macromolecules.It can also exhibit bimodal activity as a pro-oxidant at a higher concentration.Vitamin C has a switch over role from being read more an antioxidant in physiologic conditions to a pro-oxidant under pathologic conditions.

A systematic review of this role would help to elucidate whether it is an antioxidant or a pro-oxidant in the oral environment.Objective: To review studies reported in the literature elucidating the activity of Vitamin C and determine whether it is an antioxidant or a pro-oxidant.Materials and Methods: Articles were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE using appropriate key words like "Vitamin C," "antioxidant activity," "pro-oxidant activity," "oral health" "oral disease." Hand search of journals was also opheliasmuse.com performed.

Articles were reviewed and analyzed.Results: Search strategy reviewed 10 relevant articles which studied the dual role of Vitamin C.65% of authors analyzed antioxidant action of ascorbic acid compared to 35% of the pro-oxidant potential.Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and a pro-oxidant by a plethora of mechanisms.

Factors determining its bimodal activity were studied, and the frequencies of their occurrence in the literature were depicted in percentage.Conclusion: The data validates the role of Vitamin C as an antioxidant under physiologic conditions exhibiting a cross over role as a pro-oxidant in pathological conditions.Further studies are required to substantiate its pro-oxidant activity to draw concrete conclusions.