<<snip>>
alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation represents an achievable adjunct therapy to
help prevent vision loss in diabetic patients
<<snip>>

Diabetes. 2004 Dec;53(12):3233-3238. Links

Effect of Long-Term Administration of {alpha}-Lipoic Acid on Retinal Capillary
Cell Death and the Development of Retinopathy in Diabetic Rats.

Kowluru RA, Odenbach S.

Kresge Eye Institute, Wayne State University, 4717 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI
48201. rkowluru@med.wayne.edu.

Oxidative stress is increased in the retina in diabetes, and it is considered
to play an important role in the development of retinopathy. alpha-Lipoic acid,
a thiol antioxidant, has been shown to have beneficial effects on
polyneuropathy and on the parameters of oxidative stress in various tissues,
including nerve, kidney, and retina. The purpose of this study was to examine
the effect of alpha-lipoic acid on retinal capillary cell apoptosis and the
development of pathology in diabetes. Retina was used from
streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats receiving diets supplemented with or
without alpha-lipoic acid (400 mg/kg) for 11 months of diabetes. Capillary cell
apoptosis (by terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) and
formation of acellular capillaries were investigated in the trypsin-digested
retinal microvessels. The effect of alpha-lipoic acid administration on retinal
8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and nitrotyrosine levels was determined by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. alpha-Lipoic acid administration for the
entire duration of diabetes inhibited capillary cell apoptosis and the number
of acellular capillaries in the retina, despite similar severity of
hyperglycemia in the two diabetic groups (with and without alpha-lipoic acid).
Retinal 8-OHdG and nitrotyrosine levels were increased by over twofold and 70%,
respectively, in diabetes, and alpha-lipoic acid administration inhibited these
increases. Our results demonstrate that the long-term administration of
alpha-lipoic acid has beneficial effects on the development of diabetic
retinopathy via inhibition of accumulation of oxidatively modified DNA and
nitrotyrosine in the retina. alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation represents an
achievable adjunct therapy to help prevent vision loss in diabetic patients.

PMID: 15561955 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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