J Diabetes Complications. 2004 Mar-Apr;18(2):79-85. Related Articles, Links
Clinical experience with thioctacid (thioctic acid) in the
treatment of distal symmetric polyneuropathy in Korean
diabetic patients.
Ryeal Hahm J, Kim BJ, Kim KW.
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine,
Gyeongsang Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National
University, Jinju, South Korea.
Objective: This open-label study was performed to evaluate
the efficacy and safety of oral treatment with the
antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA, thioctic acid) in Korean
diabetic patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy
(DSP). Subjects and Methods: Thioctic acid was administered
orally using 600 mg once daily for 8 weeks in 61 diabetic
patients with symptomatic polyneuropathy. Neuropathic
symptoms (pain, burning sensation, paresthesia, and
numbness) were scored at baseline as well as at 4 and 8
weeks following treatment. In addition, neurological
assessment was carried out before and after 8 weeks of
treatment, and an overall evaluation was performed at the
end of treatment. The primary endpoint was the response rate
after 8 weeks of treatment, defined as an improvement in the
Total Symptom Score (TSS) of >/=30%. Results: Efficacy was
evaluated in 38 patients who had completed the study
according to the protocol. Safety was evaluated in all 61
patients who had taken the study medication. Fasting blood
glucose and HbA(1)c did not change during the study. The
response rate after 8 weeks was 71.4%. At 4 weeks, the
response rate was
47.4%. The TSS significantly decreased at 4 weeks, which
decreased further at 8 weeks (P<.05). All the individual
scores for neuropathic symptoms (pain, burning sensation,
paresthesia, and numbness) were also significantly
reduced at 4 weeks and further decreased at 8 weeks
(P<.05). The duration of diabetes, severity and duration
of diabetic polyneuropathy, and all the other demographic
and metabolic parameters did not demonstrate an effect on
the response rate. The parameters of neurological
assessment (ankle reflexes, pin-[censored] test, 10-g
monofilament test) and quantitative sensory tests
(vibration, warm and cold sensation) were not influenced
by 8 weeks of treatment with 600 mg of oral thioctic acid
per day. Overall efficacy rated as "good/fair" was 86.8%
by the physician and 76.3% by the patients at the end of
an 8-week treatment period. Eleven episodes (18.0%) of
adverse events (possibly, probably, definitely related)
were reported in seven patients (11.5%). Conclusion:
These findings indicate that oral treatment with thioctic
acid at a dose of 600 mg/day for 8 weeks improved
symptoms of polyneuropathy in Korean diabetic patients
without causing serious adverse events.
PMID: 15120701 [PubMed - in process]
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lpi.oregonstate.edusuh.htmlOpen ↗
The Antioxidant Activities of Vitamin C and Lipoic Acid in
the Body Jung Suh LPI Graduate Fellow
<<snip>> Aside from their potent antioxidant function,
lipoic acid and dihydrolipoic acid can chelate free metal
ions, such as iron and copper, in vitro, resulting in the
loss of their potentially harmful reactivity, probably
through subsequent excretion. Lipoic acid may be a safe and
effective means to lower the age-related increase in iron
content. <<snip>>
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