The Effect of Prophylactic Oral Vitamin C Use on DNA Double-strand Breaks After Abdominal Contrast-enhanced CT: A Preliminary Study

Abstract Purpose To investigate the protective effect of oral Vitamin C on DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) after abdominal contrast-enhanced CT examination. Materials and methods Sixty patients undergoing abdominal multiphase contrast-enhanced CT were divided into control group (n = 30) and prevention group (n = 30). Patients in the prevention group were orally administered 1 g Vitamin C 30–120 minutes prior to CT examination. Blood samples were obtained prior to and 5 min following CT examination for each subject. γ-H2AX foci representing DSBs in the nucleus of lymphocytes were marked by fluorescent markers. Change in γ-H2AX foci/cell was compared through Student t-tests or ANOVA testing. The relationship between physical parameters and increase in γ-H2AX foci was analyzed through Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis. Results The mean increase in γ-H2AX was 0.49 foci /cell in the control group and 0.19 foci/cell in the prevention group (p   0.05). Conclusion Oral Vitamin C can significantly reduce the level of DSBs after abdominal contrast-enhanced CT examination and is a simple and effective method to decrease DNA damage.