Chemical Properties
Yellow Crystalline Solid
Uses
A fat-metabolism stimulator
Uses
α-Lipoic acid has been used as a reference standard for the analysis of α-lipoic acid in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electron capture detector (HPLC-ECD), in various food matrices and dietary supplements by HPLC combined with coulometric electrode array detector (CEAD) as well as electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (ESI-MS).
It may be used as a reference standard for the determination of α-lipoic acid in human urine by isocratic reversed-phase HPLC and in α-lipoic acid capsules by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection.
Definition
ChEBI: (R)-lipoic acid is the (R)-enantiomer of lipoic acid. A vitamin-like, C8 thia fatty acid with anti-oxidant properties. It has a role as a prosthetic group, a nutraceutical and a cofactor. It is a lipoic acid, a member of dithiolanes, a heterocyclic fatty acid and a thia fatty acid. It is functionally related to an octanoic acid. It is a conjugate acid of a (R)-lipoate. It is an enantiomer of a (S)-lipoic acid.
General Description
α-Lipoic acid is an antioxidant which is generally present in plants, animals and many other microorganisms.
Biochem/physiol Actions
(R)-(+)-α-Lipoic acid was shown to significantly increase pyruvate oxidation while abrogating fatty acid oxidation in rat hepatocytes. These effects make R-(+)-α-Lipoic acid a promising treatment option for the treatment of Type II diabetes. It is a biological antioxidant with prooxidant activities, its therapeutic potential is widely investigated, e.g. in the treatment for Alzheimer′s disease.
