Department of Kinesiology and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 Taylor, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Med Hypotheses. 2010 Dec;75(6):572-5. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2010.07.034. Epub 2010 Aug 12.
As sulfur containing thiols, alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) are powerful antioxidants and free radical scavengers capable of performing many of the same functions as glutathione (GSH). ALA supplementation may help protect mitochondria from oxidative stress, a possible mechanism contributing to certain forms of brain diseases called schizophrenia. Shortly before the advent of antipsychotic medications, two small studies found ALA relieved psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia. More recently, animal studies have shown ALA augmentation improves mitochondrial function. At pharmaceutical levels, niacinamide helps preserve mitochondrial membrane integrity and acts as an antioxidant. ALA is a precursor for lipoamide, an essential mitochondrial coenzyme and niacinamide is a component of niacinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NADH, the reduced form of NAD, is involved in the reduction of ALA to DHLA within the mitochondria. This is relevant to contemporary research because DHLA increases GSH and low GSH levels contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress which have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
作为含硫巯基的物质，α-硫辛酸（ALA）及其还原形式二氢硫辛酸（DHLA）是强大的抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂，能够发挥谷胱甘肽（GSH）的许多相同功能。ALA 补充剂可能有助于保护线粒体免受氧化应激，这可能是导致某些称为精神分裂症的脑疾病的一种机制。在出现抗精神病药物之前不久，两项小型研究发现 ALA 缓解了精神分裂症的精神症状。最近，动物研究表明 ALA 增强可以改善线粒体功能。在药物水平上，烟酰胺有助于维持线粒体膜的完整性，并具有抗氧化作用。ALA 是脂酰基辅酶 A 的前体，脂酰基辅酶 A 是一种必需的线粒体辅酶，而烟酰胺是烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸（NAD）的组成部分。NADH 是 NAD 的还原形式，参与在线粒体中将 ALA 还原为 DHLA。这与当代研究相关，因为 DHLA 增加了 GSH，而 GSH 水平低会导致线粒体功能障碍和氧化应激，这与精神分裂症的病理生理学有关。
