ASSOCIATION OF SERUM α-LIPOIC ACID AND CATARACT PATIENTS.

Mahmoud, Amany Abd El-Ghaffar; Abd El -Azeem, Eman M.; Mahmoud, Atef M.; Khalifa, Rawhla A.

Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid, have recently gained considerable attention as powerful antioxidants. LA scavenges hydroxyl radicals, hypochlorous acid, peroxynitrite, and singlet oxygen. It also protects membranes by interacting with vitamin C and glutathione, which may in turn recycle vitamin E. In addition to its antioxidant activities, dihydrolipoate may exert prooxidant actions through reduction of iron. Our study aimed to show if there is a relationship between levels of α-lipoic acid, GSH, total antioxidant (TAO), MDA and ferritin and development of cataract in two groups (senile and diabetic cataract) in comparison to control group. The present study shows that the concentrations of α-lipoic acid, GSH, total antioxidant significantly decrease, while MDA and ferritin concentrations significantly increase in both studied groups. Available data strongly suggest that LA, because of its antioxidant properties, is particularly suited to the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications that arise from an overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Therefore, α-lipoic acid is an important nutritional supplementation that decreases the development or progression of cataract caused by senility or diabetes.

SERUM; LIPOIC acid; ANTIOXIDANTS; CATARACT; CRYSTALLINE lens diseases; HYDROXYL group; REACTIVE oxygen species; GLUTATHIONE; CARBOHYDRATE intolerance; PATIENTS

Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2007, Vol 25, Issue 1, p25

1687-1502

Academic Journal