ascorbic-acid and Drug-Related-Side-Effects-and-Adverse-Reactions

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most frequent treatment for patients suffering from malignant progression of cancer. Even though new treatments are now being implemented, administration of these chemotherapeutic agents remains as the first line option in many tumor types. However, the secondary effects of these compounds represent one of the main reasons cancer patients lose life quality during disease progression. Recent data suggests that Ocoxin, a plant extract and natural compound based nutritional complement rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory mediators exerts a positive effect in patients receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This mixture attenuates the chemotherapy and radiotherapy-related side effects such as radiation-induced skin burns and mucositis, chemotherapy-related diarrhea, hepatic toxicity and blood-infection. Moreover, it has been proven to be effective as anticancer agent in different tumor models both

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Ascorbic Acid; Chemoradiotherapy; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Drug Synergism; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Folic Acid; Humans; Neoplasms; Pantothenic Acid; Plant Extracts; Radiation Injuries; Radiation Tolerance; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 6; Zinc Sulfate

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, have been associated with the damage to the gastrointestinal tract. One proposed mechanism of injury to the gastrointestinal mucosa by NSAIDs is oxygen radical-dependent microvascular injury. There is reasonable evidence to support the benefit of the addition of ascorbic acid, an ingredient with antioxidant properties, to moderate the adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects of aspirin. Pharmacokinetic data have demonstrated that aspirin and ascorbic acid combination therapy can assist in mitigating the decrease in levels of ascorbic acid secondary to aspirin monotherapy. Endoscopic evaluation has demonstrated that the addition of ascorbic acid to aspirin significantly improves Lanza scores and rates of blood loss when compared to aspirin administration alone. When taken with ascorbic acid, the patient-reported tolerability of aspirin has been shown to be comparable to paracetamol and placebo. The existing body of evidence is relevant to short-term therapy with analgesic aspirin doses, and extrapolation to long-term therapy with low-dose aspirin is not appropriate. The purported benefit of an aspirin and ascorbic acid combination is a local observance and is not suspected to influence the adverse GI effects experienced as a result of systemic prostaglandin inhibition. Nevertheless, ascorbic acid may be a viable addition to the strategies employed to improve the gastrointestinal tolerability of aspirin.

Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Aspirin; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans

Dental erosion is increasingly recognized as a common condition in paediatric dentistry with complications of tooth sensitivity, altered aesthetics and loss of occlusal vertical dimension. The prevalence of erosion in children has been reported to range from 10% to over 80%. The primary dentition is thought to be more susceptible to erosion compared to the permanent dentition due to the thinner and less mineralized enamel. The aim of this paper was to critically review dental erosion in children with regards to its prevalence, aetiology, diagnosis and prevention. The associations between erosion and other common conditions in children such as caries and enamel hypoplasia are also discussed.

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Australia; Beverages; Caseins; Child; Child, Preschool; Dental Caries; Dental Enamel Hypoplasia; Dental Pellicle; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Fluorides, Topical; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Germany; Humans; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Tooth Erosion; Tooth, Deciduous; United Kingdom; Vomiting

Topics: Anticonvulsants; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Aspirin; Drug Interactions; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Nutritional Requirements; Risk; Vitamins

Topics: Anorexia; Ascorbic Acid; Cachexia; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Enteral Nutrition; Female; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Male; Minerals; Neoplasms; Nutrition Disorders; Parenteral Nutrition; Pyridoxine; Serum Albumin; Taste Disorders; Thiamine; Vitamin A

Drug and substance abuse remains a major medical problem globally. Alcohol consumption, particularly heavy drinking, is an important risk factor for many health problems and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Vitamin C has proven to be defensive against toxic substances and provides antioxidant and cytoprotective activity to hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin C as a potential ameliorating agent against hepatotoxicity among alcohol abusers.. This study was a cross-sectional study that included eighty male hospitalized alcohol abusers and twenty healthy people as a control group. Alcohol abusers received standard treatment plus vitamin C. Total protein, albumin, total Bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and 8-hydroxhguanosine (8-OHdG) were investigated.. This study reported that, in the alcohol abuser group, there was a significant increase in the total protein, bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP, TBARS, SOD and 8-OHdG; on the other hand, there was a significant decrease in albumin, GSH and CAT compared with the control group. The alcohol abuser group treated with vitamin C showed a significant decrease in total protein, bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP, TBARS, SOD and 8-OHdG; on the other hand, there was a significant increase in albumin, GSH and CAT compared with the control group.. This study's findings suggest that alcohol abuse induces significant alterations in various hepatic biochemical parameters and oxidative stress and that vitamin C has a partial protective role in countering alcohol abuse-induced hepatotoxicity. Using vitamin C as an adjunctive supplement to standard treatment may be helpful in minimizing the toxic side effects of alcohol abuse.

Topics: Alcoholism; Alkaline Phosphatase; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Bilirubin; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Liver; Male; Oxidative Stress; Superoxide Dismutase; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; Vitamins

Benznidazole is an effective drug in the trypanocidal treatment of acute and chronic indeterminate Chagas' disease (CD). However, adverse drug reactions (ADR) are common and frequently cause patients to discontinue treatment.. We hypothesized that antioxidant supplementation could mitigate benznidazole-induced toxicity.. We co-supplemented an adult traveller with chronic indeterminate CD who experienced benznidazole ADR with ascorbic acid (AA), 1000 mg/day. We measured selected serum biomarkers of oxidative stress [total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidative status (TOS), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), malondialdehyde (MDA), extracellular glutathione peroxidase (GPX3), catalase (CAT) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD)] at timepoints before and throughout benznidazole treatment and after AA co-supplementation.. AA co-supplementation effectively mitigated benznidazole-induced ADR during the aetiological treatment of chronic indeterminate CD. The kinetics of serum biomarkers of oxidative stress suggested significantly decreased oxidative insult in our patient.. We hypothesize that the key pathophysiological mechanism of benznidazole-associated toxicity is oxidative stress, rather than hypersensitivity. AA co-supplementation may improve adherence to benznidazole treatment of chronic indeterminate (or acute) CD. Oxidative stress biomarkers have the potential to guide the clinical management of CD. Prospective studies are needed to establish the benefit of antioxidant co-supplementation to benznidazole treatment of CD in reducing benznidazole toxicity, parasite clearance and the prevention of end-organ damage.

Topics: Adult; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Biomarkers; Chagas Disease; Dietary Supplements; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Nitroimidazoles; Oxidative Stress

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant concern in drug development due to the poor concordance between preclinical and clinical findings of liver toxicity. We hypothesized that the DILI types (hepatotoxic side effects) seen in the clinic can be translated into the development of predictive in silico models for use in the drug discovery phase. We identified 13 hepatotoxic side effects with high accuracy for classifying marketed drugs for their DILI potential. We then developed in silico predictive models for each of these 13 side effects, which were further combined to construct a DILI prediction system (DILIps). The DILIps yielded 60-70% prediction accuracy for three independent validation sets. To enhance the confidence for identification of drugs that cause severe DILI in humans, the "Rule of Three" was developed in DILIps by using a consensus strategy based on 13 models. This gave high positive predictive value (91%) when applied to an external dataset containing 206 drugs from three independent literature datasets. Using the DILIps, we screened all the drugs in DrugBank and investigated their DILI potential in terms of protein targets and therapeutic categories through network modeling. We demonstrated that two therapeutic categories, anti-infectives for systemic use and musculoskeletal system drugs, were enriched for DILI, which is consistent with current knowledge. We also identified protein targets and pathways that are related to drugs that cause DILI by using pathway analysis and co-occurrence text mining. While marketed drugs were the focus of this study, the DILIps has a potential as an evaluation tool to screen and prioritize new drug candidates or chemicals, such as environmental chemicals, to avoid those that might cause liver toxicity. We expect that the methodology can be also applied to other drug safety endpoints, such as renal or cardiovascular toxicity.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Databases, Factual; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Liver; Models, Biological; Predictive Value of Tests

The present work aimed to study some blood indices of rats as affected by saccharin and the therapeutic action of vitamins C and E. The used adult female Rattus norvegicus albino rats in the present study were weighing 100-120 g. Administration of saccharin at a dose of 35 mg kg⁻¹ body weight (b.wt.) day⁻¹ for 35 days significantly decreased serum glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein and albumin values. These decrements were by 20.16%, 22.76%, 44.92%, 20.16% and 40.44%, respectively, compared to control level (p value < 0.01). But it increased levels of kidney function indices. The effect of saccharin was more pronounced on creatinine. Activities of Alanine aminotranferease (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased significantly following saccharin treatment to rats. Concerning hematoligical parameters, the more obvious changes were observed in the increment of white blood cell (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and platelets (PLT) and the decrease in hematocrit, hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cells (RBCs) count in response to the administration of saccharin. In general, vitamin C or E (150 mg kg⁻¹ b.wt. day⁻¹ for 35 days) was able to reduce the effects of saccharin intake. Both vitamins, however, generally have beneficial effects in reducing the changes in the studied parameters.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Blood Chemical Analysis; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Female; Hematologic Tests; Rats; Saccharin; Sweetening Agents; Vitamin E

Leucosidea sericea is an important medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine in southern Africa. Leaf and stem petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM) and 50% aqueous methanol (MeOH) extracts were investigated for antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. The safety of the extracts was evaluated using the Ames test. In addition, the iridoid content of L. sericea stems and leaves were quantified. For DPPH radical-scavenging activity, the stem MeOH extract (EC(50) value: 1.6 μg/ml) was more potent than ascorbic acid (EC(50) value: 1.7 μg/ml). In the β-carotene-linoleic acid model system, antioxidant activity of the leaf DCM extract (89.8%) was not significantly different to that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (98.9%). All extracts showed a dose-dependent acetylcholinesterase inhibition; in terms of the IC(50) value, the leaf DCM extract (0.14 mg/ml) was the most potent sample. Total iridoid content was 35% higher in the stem extract than in the leaf extract. Based on the Ames test, L. sericea extracts were not mutagenic, either with or without S9 metabolic activation. These findings suggest the safety as well as the potential of L. sericea as a possible source of novel/alternative antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory compounds.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Biphenyl Compounds; Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Iridoids; Medicine, African Traditional; Mutagens; Picrates; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Plants, Medicinal; Rosaceae

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a model for studying free radical-induced liver injury and screening hepato-protective drugs. Numerous studies have reported the involvement of oxidative stress in CCl4-induced liver damage and the hepato-protective effects mediated by different antioxidants. The present study examined the effects of diphenyl diselenide, (PhSe)2, on hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 in rats. To this end, male Wistar rats received (PhSe)2 by oral route at the dosage of 31.2 mg/kg for one or two days. After the second day of treatment, rats received CCl4 orally in a single dose. The liver and kidney were utilized for determination of histopathology, biochemical [aspartate (ALT) and alanine (AST) aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirrubin (TB) and gamaglutamyl transferase (GGT)] and toxicological parameters [thiobarbituric reactive species (TBARS) levels, catalase activity, ascorbic acid, nonprotein thiols (NPSH) and aminolevulinate dehydratase (-ALA-D) activity]. Repeated administration of (PhSe)2 caused a marked potentiation of hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 exposure, as manifested by an increase in biochemical parameters (AST, ALT, ALP, GGT and BT) and severe alteration in histopathology. This study also demonstrated a potentiation of TBARS levels and a consequent depletion of important antioxidant defenses including catalase and ascorbic acid. Pre-treatment with a single dose of (PhSe)2 prevented the effect of strychnine, a substrate for CYPs, abolishing lethality in mice. This result indicates that (PhSe)2 prevented animal death, suggesting an activator action of (PhSe)2 in CYPs. This study clearly indicates that (PhSe)2 potentiated acute hepatic damage induced by CCl4.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Alanine Transaminase; Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Benzene Derivatives; Bilirubin; Carbon Tetrachloride; Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning; Catalase; Creatinine; Drug Synergism; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Lipid Peroxidation; Liver; Male; Organoselenium Compounds; Porphobilinogen Synthase; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; Urea

Determination of potential drug toxicity and side effect in early stages of drug development is important in reducing the cost and time of drug discovery. In this work, we explore a computer method for predicting potential toxicity and side effect protein targets of a small molecule. A ligand-protein inverse docking approach is used for computer-automated search of a protein cavity database to identify protein targets. This database is developed from protein 3D structures in the protein data bank (PDB). Docking is conducted by a procedure involving multiple conformer shape-matching alignment of a molecule to a cavity followed by molecular-mechanics torsion optimization and energy minimization on both the molecule and the protein residues at the binding region. Potential protein targets are selected by evaluation of molecular mechanics energy and, while applicable, further analysis of its binding competitiveness against other ligands that bind to the same receptor site in at least one PDB entry. Our results on several drugs show that 83% of the experimentally known toxicity and side effect targets for these drugs are predicted. The computer search successfully predicted 38 and missed five experimentally confirmed or implicated protein targets with available structure and in which binding involves no covalent bond. There are additional 30 predicted targets yet to be validated experimentally. Application of this computer approach can potentially facilitate the prediction of toxicity and side effect of a drug or drug lead.

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Aspirin; Computer Simulation; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Gentamicins; Ibuprofen; Indinavir; Ligands; Models, Molecular; Molecular Structure; Neomycin; Penicillin G; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Proteins; Software; Tamoxifen

Topics: Anticonvulsants; Appetite Depressants; Ascorbic Acid; Contraceptives, Oral; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Ethanol; Humans; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

The factors which give rise to tissue desaturation of ascorbic acid are classified and discussed. Nutritional deprivation, normal physiological factors and metabolic factors, and pathophysiological factors may all give rise to acute and continuing ascorbic acid tissue desaturation while the factors continue to operate. Nutritional desaturation can easily be rectified by providing supplementary Vitamin C in adequate dosage. The other factors can only be rectified when the causative mechanism is arrested. Iatrogenic desaturation may be produced by aspirin and several other drugs. While causative factors excluding that of nutrition are operating, it is very difficult if not impossible to restore normal tissue values of ascorbic acid. In consequence side effects which arise from supplementary Vitamin C administration do not arise in these circumstances. The supplementary Vitamin C administration is defined as compensatory administration of Vitamin C. In healthy individuals administration of supplementary Vitamin C can be defined as (large doses). Such large doses may give rise to side effects. The mechanism by which ascorbic acid is involved in the inflammatory response is discussed.

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Liver; Tissue Distribution

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Food; Gastric Mucosa; Humans; Nitrosamines; Nitroso Compounds

Topics: Adolescent; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antitussive Agents; Ascorbic Acid; Chelating Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Antagonism; Drug Interactions; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Pediatrics; Sulfonamides; Suppositories

It is only recently that the question of interaction between nutrition and drugs has been investigated. Generally there are two ways by which such an interaction may occur. On the one hand the food-intake and its composition may influence the effects of drugs by altering their pharmacokinetics. In most cases the abosrption of drugs and thereby also their biological effects are decreased when they are taken together with food, by only a few drugs the opposite effects have been observed. Furthermore the biotransformation of drugs may be inhibited by giving a diet poor in proteins. A diet rich in meat or in vegetables may also influence the urine pH in the more acid or basic direction and in this way the renal excretion of drugs may be changed considerably since drugs are generally either weak organic acid or bases. On the other hand drugs may also interfere with the availability and utilization of certain nutrients e.g. vitamins, electrolytes or trace elements. Such interaction could be observed when giving for example antibiotics, alcohol, contraceptives, anticonvulsives or laxatives over a long period. Deficiency of certain nutritional factors or even diseases can then be the consequence of such interactions.

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Biological Availability; Biotransformation; Drug Interactions; Drug Therapy; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Intestinal Absorption; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Salicylamides; Tyramine

Topics: Alcohols; Aminopyrine; Animals; Anisoles; Ascorbic Acid; Barbiturates; Dealkylation; Dimethyl Sulfoxide; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Enzyme Induction; Male; Microsomes, Liver; Pharmacology; Rats; Sleep; Structure-Activity Relationship

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Osteosclerosis; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Sulfates; Vitamins

Topics: Arteriosclerosis; Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Calcium; Child; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Hematologic Tests; Humans; Hypercalcemia; Vitamin D; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Epinephrine; Norepinephrine; Solutions; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Cortisone; Drug Hypersensitivity; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Vitamins

Topics: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Hypervitaminosis A; Liver; Rats; Vitamin A; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Hypervitaminosis A; Vitamin A; Vitamins

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Phosphorus; Poisoning; Poisons

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Gold; Rheumatic Diseases; Vitamin A; Vitamin K; Vitamins

Topics: Acetaminophen; Ascorbic Acid; Aurintricarboxylic Acid; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Rheumatic Diseases; Vitamin A; Vitamins