Vitamin C readily scavenges reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and may thereby prevent oxidative damage to important biological macromolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins.Vitamin C also reduces redox active transition metal ions in the active sites of specific biosynthetic enzymes.he interaction of vitamin C with 'free', catalytically active metal ions could contribute to oxidative damage through the production of hydroxyl and alkoxyl radicals; whether these mechanisms occur in vivo, however, is uncertain.