BACKGROUND S-nitrosylation of mitochondrial enzymes involved in energy transfer under nitrosative stress may result in ATP deficiency. We investigated whether α-lipoic acid, a powerful antioxidant, could alleviate nitrosative stress by regulating S-nitrosylation, which could result in retaining the mitochondrial enzyme activity. METHODS In this study, we have identified the S-nitrosylated for...

Thiol-containing compounds, such as glutathione and cysteine, react with selenite under specific conditions to form selenotrisulfides. Previous studies have focused on isolation and characterization of intermolecular selenotrisulfides. This study describes the preparation and characterization of intramolecular selenotrisulfide derivatives of lipoic acid and lipoamide. These derivatives, after s...

Studies on the activation of an apopyruvate dehydrogenation system obtained from extracts of lipoic acid-deficient Streptococcus jaecalis cells indicated that in its functional form lipoic acid is bound to protein in covalent linkage through its carboxyl group, i.e. as “lipoyl enzyme” (1). Further support for this proposal is furnished by the present finding that a partially purified enzyme, “l...

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 co...

The growth of Streptococcus faecalis is inhibited by propionate, and the inhibition is reversed by lipoic acid or acetate. A study of the role of pyruvate oxidation in S. faecalis showed that propionate inhibited the lipoic acid-dependent aerobic oxidation of pyruvate in resting cells. Pyruvate dehydrogenation with neotetrazolium as a hydrogen acceptor in cell-free extracts also required lipoic...

Author's note: The following paper critically reviews claims that controlled release lipoic acid (CRLA) is the superior form of lipoic acid (LA) for nutritional and therapeutic uses. Although our position is forthright, our intention is to bring the relevant issues to the forefront of medical and scientific discussion and review. To date, CRLA has not been subjected to any challenges.

Mardonnes J, Segovia N, Hederra A, Alcaino F. Influence of sulfasuxidine on the effect of alpha lipoic or thioctic acid on the voluntary alcohol intake of rats depleted of factor N1. Acta Physiol Lat Am. 1953;3(2-3):140-3. PMID: 13138254 Abstract Mardonnes J, Segovia N, Alcaino F, Hederra A. Effect of synthetic thioctic or alpha lipoic acid on the voluntary alcohol intake of rats. Science. 1954...

PURPOSE To understand better the cell and molecular basis for the epidemiologic association between cigarette smoke, oxidant injury, and age-associated macular degeneration, the authors examined the effects of acrolein, a major toxicant in cigarette smoke, on oxidative mitochondrial damage in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and the reduction of this damage by lipoic acid. METHODS Cultu...

1. Sardella A. An up-to-date view on burning mouth syndrome. Minerva Stomatol. 2007;56:327-40. 2. Zakrzewska JM, Forssell H, Glenny M. Interventions for the treatment of burning mouth syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;25:CD002779. 3. Mínguez Serra MP, Salort Llorca C, Silvestre Donat FJ. Pharmacological treatment of burning mouth syndrome: A review and update. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir B...

Lipoic acid is a sulfur-containing cofactor required for the function of several multienzyme complexes involved in the oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids and glycine. Mechanistic details of lipoic acid metabolism are unclear in eukaryotes, despite two well defined pathways for synthesis and covalent attachment of lipoic acid in prokaryotes. We report here the involvement of four gene...