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Therapy with antioxidants in human diabetic neuropathy
Author(s) -
Ziegler D.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.85.s2.14_5.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetic neuropathy , clinical trial , neuropathic pain , postmarketing surveillance , polyneuropathy , diabetes mellitus , oxidative stress , pathogenesis , pharmacology , adverse effect , endocrinology
Increased oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). Antioxidant treatment with alpha‐lipoic acid (ALA) has been shown to prevent or ameliorate experimental diabetic neuropathy, providing the rationale for treatment in humans. A recent meta‐analysis including four controlled clinical trials provided evidence that treatment with ALA (600 mg/day i.v.) over 3 weeks is safe and significantly improves both neuropathic symptoms and deficits to a clinically meaningful degree in patients with symptomatic DPN. Moreover, oral treatment for 4–7 months tends to ameliorate neuropathic deficits and cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Clinical and postmarketing surveillance studies have revealed a highly favorable safety profile of this drug. Based on these findings, a pivotal long‐term multicenter trial of oral treatment with ALA (NATHAN 1 Study) is under way aimed at slowing the progression of DPN.