Abstract

THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF ALPHA LIPOIC ACID ON ORGAN DAMAGES INDUCED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS

S. Sharmilabanu* and N. Jayshree

ABSTRACT

Oxidative stress is known to play an important role and is considered to be the primary cause in the development of various disease conditions like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory diseases as well as aging process in humans. Oxidative stress increases in the condition when there is an imbalance between the ROS (reactive oxygen species) production and anti-oxidant defense. Anti-oxidants may help in lowering the incidence of pathologies and protect the body from harmful alterations. Nowadays, numerous synthetic anti-oxidant supplements are also found in the market. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) which is an natural anti-oxidant believed to have beneficial effect on oxidative stress parameters and meet all the criteria for an ideal anti-oxidant. The therapeutic action of ALA is based on its anti-oxidant properties. Current studies also support its use in the treatment of various diseases associated with oxidative stress. This review was undertaken to gather the most recent information regarding the protective role of ALA in organ damages induced by oxidative stress.

Keywords: Oxidative stress, Alpha lipoic acid, Anti-oxidants, Reactive oxygen species.