Omidkhoda Seyedeh Farzaneh, Rajabian Fatemeh, Hosseinzadeh Hossein
Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2025 Apr 14. doi: 10.1007/s00210-025-04123-w.
Alpha-lipoic acid, also known as lipoate or lipoic acid (LA), is naturally present in the mitochondria of cells, where it functions as a cofactor for dehydrogenase enzyme complexes. It has also been reported that LA is a potent antioxidant. Not only does it scavenge free radicals directly, but it can also regenerate other essential cellular antioxidants. LA exhibits various anti-inflammatory effects and offers protection to mitochondria. Numerous studies have assessed the potential protective effects of LA against natural toxins, including lipopolysaccharides, galactosamine, mycotoxins, snake venoms, and toxins derived from cyanobacteria and plants. In general, the results of these studies indicate that LA can be effective in mitigating various toxicities, primarily due to the previously mentioned capabilities. Furthermore, novel mechanisms have been proposed for LA against specific toxins, for example, direct inactivation of secretory phospholipase A in some snake venoms or enhancement of p-glycoprotein activity to prevent saxitoxin entry into the neuronal cells. However, the gaps in the available data from most animal experiments conducted to date have resulted in insufficient evidence to justify further clinical evaluations of the effects of LA on human poisoning cases. Consequently, more extensive research is required to address these gaps and fully realize the therapeutic potential of this valuable substance.
α-硫辛酸，也称为硫辛酸盐或硫辛酸（LA），天然存在于细胞线粒体中，在那里它作为脱氢酶复合物的辅助因子发挥作用。也有报道称硫辛酸是一种强效抗氧化剂。它不仅能直接清除自由基，还能再生其他重要的细胞抗氧化剂。硫辛酸具有多种抗炎作用，并能保护线粒体。许多研究评估了硫辛酸对天然毒素的潜在保护作用，包括脂多糖、半乳糖胺、霉菌毒素、蛇毒以及蓝细菌和植物产生的毒素。总体而言，这些研究结果表明，硫辛酸主要由于上述能力，可有效减轻各种毒性。此外，还提出了硫辛酸针对特定毒素的新机制，例如，直接使某些蛇毒中的分泌型磷脂酶A失活或增强P-糖蛋白活性以防止石房蛤毒素进入神经细胞。然而，迄今为止进行的大多数动物实验所得数据存在差距，导致证据不足，无法为进一步临床评估硫辛酸对人类中毒病例的影响提供依据。因此，需要进行更广泛的研究来填补这些空白，并充分发挥这种有价值物质的治疗潜力。
