Ascorbic acid serum levels are reduced in patients with hematological malignancies

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate that patients treated with chemotherapy and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have highly significant reduced serum ascorbic acid (AA) levels compared to healthy controls. We recently observed in in vitro experiments that growth of both T and NK cells from hematopoietic stem cells is positively influenced by AA. It might be of clinical relevance to study the function and recovery of immune cells after intensive treatment, its correlation to AA serum levels and the possible effect of AA supplementation.

Keywords: Ascorbic acid; Chemotherapy; Hematological malignancy; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Vitamin C.

Fig. 1

Serum ascorbic acid levels. A: Serum ascorbic acid values of controls and patients are represented as µMol/L. Data were compared with Mann–Whitney U (p<0.0001). For seven patients with undetectable AA levels (<10 μMol/L), 10 μMol/L was appointed as AA value. B: Age (years) and serum AA values (µMol/L) of controls and patients. The regression coefficient of AA comparing healthy controls to patients with hematological malignancies is −38.5 µMol/L AA (95%CI −45.29 to −31.78). After correction for age and sex, being −34.4 µMol/L (95%CI −43.04 to −25.81) with p<0.0001 comparing controls and patients. C: Serum AA values (µMol/L) of HSCT and non-HSCT patients (p=0.63). D: Serum AA values of allogeneic versus autologous HSCT. Significance was tested with Mann Whitney U test and results in p=0.83. E: Serum AA values (µMol/L) of allogeneic HSCT patients suffering from GVHD or not (p=0.87). F: Serum ascorbic acid values of HSCT patients plotted to day of AA measurement after HSCT (p=0.58).