alpha-Lipoic acid: a metabolic antioxidant which regulates NF-kappa B signal transduction and protects against oxidative injury.
Although the metabolic role of alpha-lipoic acid has been known for over 40 years, it is only recently that its effects when supplied exogenously have become known. Exogenous alpha-lipoic acid is reduced intracellularly by at least two and possibly three enzymes, and through the actions of its reduced form, it influences a number of cell process. These include direct radical scavenging, recycling of other antioxidants, accelerating GSH synthesis, and modulating transcription factor activity, especially that of NF-kappa B (Fig. 12). These mechanisms may account for the sometimes dramatic effects of alpha-lipoic acid in oxidative stress conditions (e.g., brain ischemia-reperfusion), and point the way toward its therapeutic use.
Packer
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Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3200, USA.
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology
D000975:Antioxidants; D016328:NF-kappa B; D008063:Thioctic Acid