title: Peripheral neuropathy in obstetrics: efficacy and safety of α-lipoic acid supplementation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neuropathic pain during pregnancy is a common condition due to the physical changes and compression around pregnancy and childbirth that make pregnant women more prone to develop several medical conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, meralgia paraesthetica and other nerve entrapment syndromes. Most of the treatments usually performed to counteract neuropathic pain are contraindicated in pregnancy so that, the management of these highly invalidating conditions remains an issue in the clinical practice. We aimed to review the efficacy and safety of alpha lipoic acid supplementation in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipoic acid is a co-factor essential in the regulation of mitochondrial energy. It has been demonstrated that lipoic acid supplementation is involved in several biochemical processes and actions, exerting important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and significantly improving pain and paraesthesia in patients with sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome and diabetic neuropathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efficacy of lipoic acid is combined with a high safety profile, making this molecule a novel candidate for the management of several diseases. Data reported so far are promising and dietary supplementation with lipoic acid seems a useful tool to contrast neuropathic pain during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. kostin@alice.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costantino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guaraldi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Costantino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Grazia
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Unfer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000639:trends; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008063:Thioctic Acid