Park Sungmi, Karunakaran Udayakumar, Jeoung Nam Ho, Jeon Jae-Han, Lee In-Kyu
Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, 130 Dongdukro, Jung-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea, 700-721.
Curr Med Chem. 2014;21(32):3636-45. doi: 10.2174/0929867321666140706141806.
Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species promote endothelial dysfunction in old age and contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. α-Lipoic acid was identified as a catalytic agent for oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate in 1951, and it has been studied intensively by chemists, biologists, and clinicians who have been interested in its role in energetic metabolism and protection from reactive oxygen species-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Consequently, many biological effects of α-lipoic acid supplementation can be attributed to the potent antioxidant properties of α-lipoic acid and dihydro α-lipoic acid. The reducing environments inside the cell help to protect from oxidative damage and the reduction-oxidation status of α-lipoic acid is dependent upon the degree to which the cellular components are found in the oxidized state. Although healthy young humans can synthesize enough α-lipoic acid to scavenge reactive oxygen species and enhance endogenous antioxidants like glutathione and vitamins C and E, the level of α-lipoic acid significantly declines with age and this may lead to endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, many studies have reported α-lipoic acid can regulate the transcription of genes associated with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways. In this review, we will discuss recent clinical studies that have investigated the beneficial effects of α-lipoic acid on endothelial dysfunction and propose possible mechanisms involved.
活性氧和活性氮会促使老年人出现血管内皮功能障碍，并导致动脉粥样硬化、糖尿病和高血压等心血管疾病的发生。1951年，α-硫辛酸被确定为丙酮酸和α-酮戊二酸氧化脱羧的催化剂，对其在能量代谢中的作用以及预防活性氧诱导的线粒体功能障碍感兴趣的化学家和生物学家及临床医生对其进行了深入研究。因此，补充α-硫辛酸的许多生物学效应可归因于α-硫辛酸和二氢α-硫辛酸强大的抗氧化特性。细胞内的还原环境有助于防止氧化损伤，α-硫辛酸的氧化还原状态取决于细胞成分处于氧化状态的程度。虽然健康的年轻人能够合成足够的α-硫辛酸来清除活性氧并增强内源性抗氧化剂如谷胱甘肽以及维生素C和E，但α-硫辛酸的水平会随着年龄的增长而显著下降，这可能会导致血管内皮功能障碍。此外，许多研究报告称α-硫辛酸可以调节与抗氧化和抗炎途径相关的基因转录。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论最近研究α-硫辛酸对血管内皮功能障碍有益作用的临床研究，并提出其中可能涉及的机制。
