Research Paper Volume 11, Issue 8 pp 2202—2216

Figure 15. Anti-mitochondrial therapy. Vitamin C can act as a pro-oxidant, via the production of free radicals. The ascorbate radical is normally very stable, but becomes highly reactive in the presence of metal ions, including iron (Fe). As mitochondria are rich in iron, they could become a key target of the pro-oxidant effects of Vitamin C, sequentially driving first mitochondrial oxidative stress and then mitochondrial biogenesis. However, the use of inhibitors of mitochondrial protein translation, together with Vitamin C, would ultimately prevent CSC mitochondria from fully recovering, leading instead to CSC eradication. Additional experimentation will be required to further test this hypothesis.