Open AccessEffect of Combined Treatment With α‐Lipoic Acid and Acetyl‐L‐Carnitine on Vascular Function and Blood Pressure in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Author(s) -
McMackin Craig J.,
Widlansky Michael E.,
Hamburg Naomi M.,
Huang Alex L.,
Weller Susan,
Holbrook Monika,
Gokce Noyan,
Hagen Tory M.,
Keaney John F.,
Vita Joseph A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the journal of clinical hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1751-7176
pISSN - 1524-6175
DOI - 10.1111/j.1524-6175.2007.06052.x
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , carnitine , vasodilation , brachial artery , coronary artery disease , lipoic acid , acetylcarnitine , cardiology , crossover study , placebo , endocrinology , antioxidant , pathology , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine
Mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species that may contribute to vascular dysfunction. α‐Lipoic acid and acetyl‐L‐carnitine reduce oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial function. In a double‐blind crossover study, the authors examined the effects of combined α‐lipoic acid/acetyl‐L‐carnitine treatment and placebo (8 weeks per treatment) on vasodilator function and blood pressure in 36 subjects with coronary artery disease. Active treatment increased brachial artery diameter by 2.3% ( P =.008), consistent with reduced arterial tone. Active treatment tended to decrease systolic blood pressure for the whole group ( P =.07) and had a significant effect in the subgroup with blood pressure above the median (151±20 to 142±18 mm Hg; P =.03) and in the subgroup with the metabolic syndrome (139±21 to 130±18 mm Hg; P =.03). Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the regulation of blood pressure and vascular tone. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the clinical utility of α‐lipoic acid/acetyl‐L‐carnitine as antihypertensive therapy.