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Lipoic acid‐based strategy to treat hypertriglyceridemia
Author(s) -
Yi Xiaohua,
Pashaj Anjeza,
Brauer Vanessa M.,
Moreau Regis
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.637.15
Subject(s) - hypertriglyceridemia , medicine , endocrinology , triglyceride , cholesterol
Epidemiologic and intervention studies show that lowering blood triglycerides (TG) decreases the risk for coronary heart disease, liver disease, and type‐2 diabetes. Yet over 65 million Americans have abnormally high blood TG (hypertriglyceridemia). This paradox points to a major limitation in the effectiveness of current TG‐lowering strategies. Using the Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF, fa/fa) rat as a model of hypertriglyceridemia, we found that (R)‐ alpha‐lipoic acid (LA), a naturally occurring food compound, prevents the rapid rise in plasma VLDL‐TG that predictably occurs between week 7 and week 8 of age in pair‐fed control rats. The objectives of the study are two‐fold i) determine to what extent dietary LA corrects hypertriglyceridemia once blood TG have become elevated, and ii) elucidate how LA acts to lower blood TG. Feeding LA to hypertriglyceridemic ZDF rats restored near normal blood TG when compared to pair‐fed controls. Preliminary evidence supports a role of fibroblast growth factor 21 in mediating the metabolic effect of LA. Elucidating the novel mechanism by which LA lowers TG will stimulate interest in its therapeutic use and justify further research on potential additive or synergistic effects of combined therapy with LA. Grant Funding Source : UNL ARD Hatch Act, Tobacco Settlement Funds, and Layman Seed Award