Effects of Intake of L-ascorbic Acid on the Incidence of Dermal Neoplasms Induced in Mice by Ultraviolet Light

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1982-12, Vol.79 (23), p.7532-7536
• Main Authors: Dunham, Wolcott B., Zuckerkandl, Emile, Reynolds, Ruth, Willoughby, Richard, Marcuson, Richard, Barth, Roger, Pauling, Linus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Ascorbic Acid - therapeutic use; Diet; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Irradiation; Lesions; Mice; Mice, Mutant Strains; Neoplasms, Experimental - prevention & control; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced - prevention & control; P values; Skin cancers; Skin Neoplasms - prevention & control; Squamous cell carcinoma; Tumors; Ultraviolet radiation; Vitamin C
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.79.23.7532

We have carried out a study of large malignant skin tumors (squamous cell carcinomas) and other lesions in hairless mice (groups of 38-45) intermittently exposed to ultraviolet light over a period of 15 weeks, beginning when the mice were about 10 weeks old. The several groups were given a standard diet with 0%, 0.3%, 5%, and 10% added L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) throughout the study. No lesions developed in unirradiated control groups. The lesions were counted every 14 days for 4 months, beginning 4 weeks before the end of the period of irradiation. The observed incidence of lesions of several sizes during successive time periods was analyzed by the statistical method recommended by a committee of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. A pronounced effect of vitamin C in decreasing the incidence and delaying the onset of the malignant lesions was observed with high statistical significance.