Chronic treatment with thioctic acid does not protect against malonate toxicity in vivo.

We reported previously that short-term systemic pretreatment with thioctic acid is protective against NMDA and malonate lesions of the striatum. In the current study, we examined the effects of 3 weeks of pretreatment with various doses of thioctic acid (5-60 mg/kg per day) on malonate-induced striatal degeneration in adult rats. In this paradigm, we were unable to demonstrate protection against malonate toxicity. The reasons for the difference in efficacy between subacute and chronic treatment remain to be defined.