These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Insights in the mechanism underlying the protective effect of α-lipoic acid against acetaminophen-hepatotoxicity.
    Author: Elshazly SM, El-Moselhy MA, Barakat W.
    Journal: Eur J Pharmacol; 2014 Mar 05; 726():116-23. PubMed ID: 24486394.
    Abstract:
    Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most widely used analgesic antipyretic drugs and is a major cause of acute liver failure at overdose. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible protective effect of α-lipoic acid (α-LA, 20 or 100 mg/kg administered simultaneously or after 1.5 h) against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Administration of APAP (1.5 g/kg i.p.) resulted in elevation of serum ALT and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content, as well as decrease in hepatic glutathione (GSH) content. In addition, elevation in hepatic hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NADPH oxidase expression was observed accompanied with a significant reduction in glutathione synthase and cystathionine-beta-synthase (CβS) expression. Furthermore, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activity was enhanced in APAP-treated rats. Administration of the standard APAP antidote; N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 1200 mg/kg) or α-LA (20 mg/kg), simultaneously or 1.5 h after APAP, ameliorated APAP-induced alterations in liver function, oxidant and inflammatory markers. Importantly, simultaneous administration of NAC or α-LA (20 mg/kg) was more protective than their later administration. However, the beneficial effect of α-LA was lost at higher dose level (100 mg/kg). Taken together, the beneficial effects of α-lipoic acid (20 mg/kg) were comparable to those of NAC which provides a new possible treatment for APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in patients who cannot tolerate NAC. However, careful dose selection is warranted since the beneficial effects of α-LA were lost at higher doses.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]