Iron and
ascorbic acid (
vitamin C) are essential nutrients for the normal growth and development of humans, and their deficiency can result in serious diseases. Their interaction is of nutritional, physiological, pharmacological and toxicological interest, with major implications in health and disease. Millions of people are using
pharmaceutical and nutraceutical preparations of these two nutrients, including
ferrous ascorbate for the treatment of
iron deficiency anaemia and ascorbate combination with
deferoxamine for increasing
iron excretion in
iron overload. The main function and use of
vitamin C is its
antioxidant activity against
reactive oxygen species, which are implicated in many diseases of
free radical pathology, including biomolecular-, cellular- and tissue damage-related diseases, as well as
cancer and ageing.
Ascorbic acid and its metabolites, including the ascorbate
anion and
oxalate, have
metal binding capacity and bind
iron,
copper and other metals. The
biological roles of ascorbate as a
vitamin are affected by
metal complexation, in particular following binding with
iron and
copper. Ascorbate forms a complex with Fe3+ followed by reduction to Fe2+, which may potentiate
free radical production. The
biological and clinical activities of
iron, ascorbate and the ascorbate-
iron complex can also be affected by many nutrients and pharmaceutical preparations. Optimal therapeutic strategies of improved efficacy and lower toxicity could be designed for the use of ascorbate,
iron and the
iron-ascorbate complex in different clinical conditions based on their absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity (ADMET), pharmacokinetic, redox and other properties. Similar strategies could also be designed in relation to their interactions with food components and
pharmaceuticals, as well as in relation to other aspects concerning
personalized medicine.