Lipoic Acid Function and Its Safety in Multiple Sclerosis Publisher



Azimi A¹ ; Khalili M²
Source: Probiotics# Prebiotics# and Synbiotics: Bioactive Foods in Health Promotion Published:2016

Abstract

Lipoic acid (LA), is an essential cofactor for mitochondria enzymes, with some biological functions, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects has been interested in diabetic neuropathy and neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinative inflammatory process of the central nervous system. Besides immunosuppressant drugs, nutritional supplement such as LA has been studied in MS. Pharmacokinetics (PK) evaluation found that LA had rapid absorption and clearance in human and animal models of MS. Furthermore, LA as an oral supplement was tolerated up to 1200. mg/days in MS patients and no severe side effects were reported. Generally, beneficial effects of LA in MS were observed in aspects of molecular mediators, antioxidant, and inflammatory markers. In conclusion, further trials with longer duration with clinical and imaging assessment are suggested. © 2016 Elsevier Inc.