An Analysis of Antioxidant Therapies for COVID‐19

Abstract

AbstractOxidative stress and inflammation are observed in critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). As oxidative stress is due to free radicals, free radical scavenging agents, such as vitamin C, are used in the hope of mitigating the severity of COVID‐19. In this paper an analytical model of free radical encounters within a cell is derived. It computes the effectiveness of free radical scavenging and the subsequent reduction in oxidative damage due to therapeutic intervention of exogenous antioxidants. Various publications make claims of success, albeit modest, treating critically ill COVID‐19 patients with high doses of vitamin C. The findings cast doubt on these claims and challenge the notion that any benefits attributed to vitamin C are due to free radical scavenging.