It is still unclear how ascorbic acid levels relate to the pathogenesis of malaria. In this systematic review, different ascorbic acid levels in malaria patients with different severity levels of malaria and Plasmodium species were synthesized.
The systematic review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42023394849). A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Ovid, Scopus, and Google Scholar were conducted to identify studies that reported ascorbic acid and malaria. The pooled standardized mean difference (Cohen's d) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the random-effects model.
A total of 1480 articles were obtained from the searches of the databases, and 30 studies were included for syntheses. The meta-analysis revealed that patients with malaria had lower levels of ascorbic acid than those without malaria or un-infected controls (P < 0.01, Cohen's d: -3.71, 95% CI: -4.44-(-2.98), I2: 98.87%, 30 studies). Comparable levels of ascorbic acid were observed between patients with severe malaria and those with non-severe malaria (P = 0.06, Cohen's d: -1.39, 95% CI: -2.85-0.07, I2: 96.58%, 4 studies). Similarly, levels of ascorbic acid were comparable between patients with P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria (P = 0.34, Cohen's d: -1.06, 95% CI: -3.23-1.12, I2: 97.30%, 3 studies).
The meta-analysis reveals diminished levels of ascorbic acid in malaria cases. Manipulating the host's nutritional status, such as by supplementing it with ascorbic acid to restore ROS balance, may alter the progression of malarial infection and prevention of disease severity.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
1
13%
Immunology and Microbiology
1
13%
Social Sciences
1
13%
Medicine and Dentistry
1
13%
Unknown
4
50%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 20 June 2023.
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