01-11-2020 | Septicemia | Editorial
Vitamin C and thiamine for sepsis: time to go back to fundamental principles
Published in: Intensive Care Medicine | Issue 11/2020
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Vitamin C plays a vital role in human physiology. For decades, intriguing research has highlighted the possibility of acute effects of vitamin C deficiency in patients with sepsis [1]. Vitamin C is a mediator of endothelial function through its co-factor role with many enzymes (including one that catalyses the conversion of dopamine to noradrenaline). Vitamin C also works as an antioxidant by scavenging free radicals (Fig. 1). In animal models of sepsis, exogenous vitamin C increases perfused capillary density and arteriolar vasoconstrictor responsiveness, implying its possible role in treating vasoplegic status in sepsis [2].×
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