α-Lipoic Acid and its Role on Female Reproduction.

Fiorella Di Nicuolo, Roberta Castellani, Carlo Ticconi, Giovanni Scambia, Alfredo Pontecorvi, Nicoletta Di Simone

Current protein & peptide science 2021 Dec 29

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α-lipoic Acid (ALA), also known as thioctic acid, is a biological thiol present in all types of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. It has been shown that ALA or its reduced form, DHLA, has several positive effects on human health, acting as a biological antioxidant, metal chelator and detoxifying agent. It is able to reduce the oxidation of several antioxidant agents like glutathione, vitamins C and E, and modulate insulin and NF-kB signaling pathways. ALA's pharmacological effects are not only related to its antioxidant properties but it shows an anti-inflammatory action. In particular, ALA is able to reduce inflammasome activity, the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 and IL-17, interferon (INF)-γ as well as the production of Vascular and Intercellular cell adhesion protein (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1). In recent papers, ALA has been indicated as a possible therapeutic approach to several endocrine or inflammatory disorders affecting female reproduction. Aim of the current review was to assess whether ALA has an evidence- based beneficial role on gynecological and obstetrical diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and miscarriage. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.

Citation

Fiorella Di Nicuolo, Roberta Castellani, Carlo Ticconi, Giovanni Scambia, Alfredo Pontecorvi, Nicoletta Di Simone. α-Lipoic Acid and its Role on Female Reproduction. Current protein & peptide science. 2021 Dec 29;22(11):767-774