Drug Groups

approved; nutraceutical

Description

A vitamin-like antioxidant. [PubChem]

Indication

For nutritional supplementation, also for treating dietary shortage or imbalance.

Pharmacology

Lipoic acid (or α-lipoic acid) is able to pass the blood-brain barrier and is putatively used for detoxification of mercury attached to the brain cells. It can mobilise bound mercury into the blood stream as it is a mercaptan (sulfur compound which readily binds to the mercury). In the blood stream, another chelator such as dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) or methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is used to transfer mercury safely into the urine for excretion. Neither DMSA nor MSM can cross the blood-brain barrier, which is why both lipoic acid and DMSA are used. It is hypothesized that this treatment-along with carnitine, dimethylglycine (DMG), Vitamin B6, folic acid, and magnesium—could be used to treat autism and amalgam poisoning. In this hypothesis, the reason why autism is difficult to treat is that mercury is attached to the brain cells and most medicines and vitamin supplements do not penetrate the blood-brain barrier. However, α-lipoic acid and perhaps vitamin B12 could making it possible for other chelators to remove mercury safely out of the body and could perhaps one day be used as a treatment for autism. Because lipoic acid is related to cellular uptake of glucose and it is both soluble in water and fat, it is being used for treatment in diabetes. It may be helpful for people with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

Affected Organisms

References

External Links