REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology
This article is part of the Research TopicPharmacological Modulation of Inflammatory Pathways in Sepsis: Targeting the Cytokine Storm and Septic Oxidative StressView all 4 articles
Vitamin C for Sepsis: From Mechanisms to Individualized Therapy
Provisionally accepted
- 1Changde Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, China
- 2Changde Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (The First People's Hospital of Changde City), changde, China
- 3Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha, China
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Sepsis is a critical illness initiated by infection and characterized by a dysregulated inflammatory and oxidative stress response, leading to high mortality rates and impaired long-term quality of life. It is noteworthy that many sepsis patients have insufficient levels of vitamin C, an essential micronutrient. Due to its diverse physiological roles, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial-enhancing effects, vitamin C has gained significant attention as a potential adjunctive therapy for sepsis. However, the specific mechanisms by which vitamin C acts in sepsis are still not fully understood. Recent preclinical studies have shown that it can help reduce sepsis-induced organ damage, but clinical trials assessing its effectiveness have produced mixed results. Importantly, vitamin C's pharmacological effects depend on its concentration, and it has complex pharmacokinetics, which makes establishing an appropriate dosage regimen critical for achieving therapeutic outcomes in patients. This review aims to synthesize the current evidence regarding the therapeutic mechanisms of vitamin C in sepsis, identify limitations in the existing clinical research, and highlight future directions for investigation.
Keywords: Sepsis, septic shock, vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid, Mechanism
Received: 06 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xiao, gong, Zhang and Gui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chun Mei Gui
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