ALA and ALCAR
Co-Administration of Alpha Lipoic Acid and Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Scientific Studies:
1. Feeding acetyl-l-carnitine and lipoic acid to old rats significantly improves metabolic function while decreasing oxidative stress.
Tory M. Hagen,* Jiankang Liu,†‡ Jens Lykkesfeldt,§ Carol M. Wehr,† Russell T. Ingersoll,‡ Vladimir Vinarsky,† James C. Bartholomew,¶ and Bruce N. Ames†‡‖
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 May 14; 99(10): 7184.
ABSTRACT
Mitochondrial-supported bioenergetics decline and oxidative stress increases during aging. To address whether the dietary addition of acetyl-l-carnitine [ALCAR, 1.5% (wt/vol) in the drinking water] and/or (R)-α-lipoic acid [LA, 0.5% (wt/wt) in the chow] improved these endpoints, young (2–4 mo) and old (24–28 mo) F344 rats were supplemented for up to 1 mo before death and hepatocyte isolation. ALCAR+LA partially reversed the age-related decline in average mitochondrial membrane potential and significantly increased (P = 0.02) hepatocellular O2 consumption, indicating that mitochondrial-supported cellular metabolism was markedly improved by this feeding regimen. ALCAR+LA also increased ambulatory activity in both young and old rats; moreover, the improvement was significantly greater (P = 0.03) in old versus young animals and also greater when compared with old rats fed ALCAR or LA alone. To determine whether ALCAR+LA also affected indices of oxidative stress, ascorbic acid and markers of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) were monitored. The hepatocellular ascorbate level markedly declined with age (P = 0.003) but was restored to the level seen in young rats when ALCAR+LA was given. The level of malondialdehyde, which was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) in old versus young rats, also declined after ALCAR+LA supplementation and was not significantly different from that of young unsupplemented rats. Feeding ALCAR in combination with LA increased metabolism and lowered oxidative stress more than either compound alone.
2. Effect of Combined Treatment with Alpha Lipoic Acid and Acetyl-L-Carnitine on Vascular Function and Blood Pressure in Coronary Artery Disease Patients.
Abstract
Mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species that may contribute to vascular dysfunction. Alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine reduce oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial function. In a double blind, crossover study, we examined the effects of combined alpha-lipoic acid /acetyl-L-carnitine treatment and placebo (eight weeks per treatment) on vasodilator function and blood pressure in 36 subjects with coronary artery disease. Active treatment increased brachial artery diameter by 2.3% (P=0.008), consistent with reduced arterial tone. Active treatment tended to decrease systolic blood pressure for the whole group (P=0.07) and had a significantly effect in the subgroup with blood pressure above the median (151±20 to 142±18 mmHg, P=0.03) and in the subgroup with the metabolic syndrome (139±21 to 130±18 mmHg, P=0.03). Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the regulation of blood pressure and vascular tone. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the clinical utility of alpha-lipoic acid/acetyl-L-carnitine as antihypertensive therapy.
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