Vitamin C and neuroinflammation

This chapter summarizes the role of vitamin C in mitigating neuroinflammation associated with a variety of neurological diseases and disorders. Some degree of neuroinflammatory response is required for neuronal homeostasis under a range of conditions throughout development, aging, illness, and injury. This response is driven by coordinated release of cytokines and reactive oxygen species to activate microglia response. Vitamin C serves as a potent antioxidant that rapidly and effectively scavenges reactive oxygen species which could otherwise contribute to accumulation of oxidative stress and prolonged neuroinflammatory status. Newer research suggests that there may be more specific roles for vitamin C in specific cell types, particularly microglia, that comprise a major part of neuroinflammatory response. In each case, the important balance between generation and control of free radicals and inflammatory signals such as cytokines is disrupted in cases of vitamin C deficiency. We explore what is currently known about vitamin C and neuroinflammation, proposed pathways linking neuroinflammation and vitamin C, and the application of this knowledge into other neurological conditions.