X-Message-Number: 11904
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 03:40:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: lipoate restores mobility to old rodents

Authors
  Hagen TM.  Ingersoll RT.  Lykkesfeldt J.  Liu J.  Wehr CM.  Vinarsky V. 
  Bartholomew JC.  Ames AB.
Institution
  Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at
  Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Title
  (R)-alpha-lipoic acid-supplemented old rats have improved
  mitochondrial function, decreased oxidative damage, and increased metabolic
  rate.
Source
  FASEB Journal.  13(2):411-8, 1999 Feb.
Abstract
  A diet supplemented with (R)-lipoic acid, a mitochondrial
  coenzyme, was fed to old rats to determine its efficacy in reversing the
  decline in metabolism seen with age. Young (3 to 5 months) and old (24 to 26
  months) rats were fed an AIN-93M diet with or without (R)-lipoic
  acid (0.5% w/w) for 2 wk, killed, and their liver
  parenchymal cells were isolated. Hepatocytes from untreated old rats vs.
  young controls had significantly lower oxygen consumption (P<0. 03) and
  mitochondrial membrane potential. (R)-Lipoic acid
  supplementation reversed the age-related decline in O2 consumption and
  increased (P<0.03) mitochondrial membrane potential. Ambulatory activity, a
  measure of general metabolic activity, was almost threefold lower in
  untreated old rats vs. controls, but this decline was reversed (P<0.005) in
  old rats fed (R)-lipoic acid. The increase of oxidants with
  age, as measured by the fluorescence produced on oxidizing
  2',7'-dichlorofluorescin, was significantly lowered in (R)-lipoic
  acid supplemented old rats (P<0.01). Malondialdehyde (MDA)
  levels, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were increased fivefold with age
  in cells from unsupplemented rats. Feeding rats the (R)-lipoic
  acid diet reduced MDA levels markedly (P<0.01). Both
  glutathione and ascorbic acid levels declined in hepatocytes
  with age, but their loss was completely reversed with (R)-lipoic
  acid supplementation. Thus, (R)-lipoic acid
  supplementation improves indices of metabolic activity as well as lowers
  oxidative stress and damage evident in aging.

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