Lipoic Acid in the Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury

Hypoxia, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress contribute to contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) in the kidney and heart. Imbalance between the increased formation of ROS by hypoxia in the cardiac and renal tissue and the low availability of endogenous antioxidants is a common cause of cellular and tissue damage. Therefore, a strategy to inhibit ROS generation or to scavenger free radicals becomes an important intervention to prevent CI-AKI and myocardial IRI. Evidence has shown that a naturally occurring cellular antioxidant lipoic acid (LA) (1,2-dithilane-3-pentanoic acid) acts as a free radical scavenger of ROS and reactive nitrogen oxide species for cardioprotection and renoprotection. The mechanisms whereby LA exerts its protective effects are not entirely understood, but may be related to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/Nrf2 pathway and the PI3-kinase/Akt pathways. This review will provide the current information of LA as an exogenous antioxidant for cardioprotection and renoprotection, with emphasis on antioxidant functions of LA and multiple signaling pathways underlying protective effects of LA on CI-AKI as well as cardiac and renal IRI. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.