Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
Preeclampsia affects up to 5% of pregnancies worldwide, and is highly associated with preterm birth and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Vitamin C, an essential nutrient required for many metabolic processes, is thought to protect against oxidative cellular damage. Several studies have revealed that vitamin C levels are much lower in preeclamptic patients than healthy controls, likely reflecting overutilization to mitigate free-radical-mediated cellular damage. Previous trials investigating the impact of vitamin C dietary supplementation on preeclampsia prevention in pregnant women have failed to consistently reveal a protective effect. These trials, however, all evaluated orally administered Vitamin C, a route which results in very poor systemic absorption. This study aims to characterize the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profile of intravenously administered vitamin C in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia.