Lipoic acid, also known as alpha-lipoic acid, is an antioxidant found in every cell in the body. Unlike other antioxidants, lipoic acid functions in both water and fat. A study out of New York Medical College, Vilhalla, provided evidence that lipoic acid (LA) induces multiple cell cycle checkpoint arrest and caspase-independent cell death in HL-60 leukemia cells, supporting its efficacious potential as a chemopreventive agent.22 Another study out of Portland, Ore., found LA stimulated cAMP production in human cells in a dose-dependent manner.23 In addition, LA suppressed interleukin (IL)-12/IL-18 induced IFNgamma secretion and cytotoxicity in NK cells.
In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, 33 HIV-infected men and women with a viral load greater than 10,000 copies/cm3, despite highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), aged 44 to 47 years old, were assigned to receive either 300 mg of LA, three times a day, or a matching placebo for six months.24 The mean blood total glutathione level in LA-supplemented subjects was significantly elevated after six months compared to an insignificant change in the placebo group (LA vs. placebo: P=0.04). The lymphocyte proliferation response was significantly enhanced or stabilized after six months of LA supplementation compared to progressive decline in the placebo group (LA vs. placebo: P<0.001 with phytohemagglutinin; P=0.02 with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody). A positive correlation was seen between blood total glutathione level and lymphocyte response to anti-CD3 stimulation (R2=0.889). There was no significant change in either HIV RNA level or CD4 count over six months in the LA-supplemented group compared to the control group.
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