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Alpha-lipoic acid suppresses the development of collagen-induced arthritis and protects against bone destruction in mice

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Abstract

Objective

To test the ability of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) to attenuate the development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice.

Methods

Mice were divided into three groups and treated with intraperitoneal administration of LA (10 or 100 mg/kg) or placebo. Clinical, histologic, and biochemical parameters were assessed. Human synovial fibroblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cocultured in various concentrations of LA to evaluate the effects on osteoclastogenesis.

Results

LA was associated with a dose-dependent reduction of CIA, as well as preventing bone erosion and destructive changes. Intracellular reactive oxygen species in lymphocytes obtained from inguinal lymph nodes, which was significantly higher in CIA than control mice, was significantly reduced in CIA by LA. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the paws, and synovial NF-κB binding, all of which were markedly higher in CIA than control mice, were reduced by treatment with LA. In addition, LA inhibited the formation of human osteoclasts in vitro.

Conclusion

Amelioration of joint disease by LA was associated with reduction in oxidative stress, as well as inhibition of inflammatory cytokine activation and NF-κB DNA binding activity. Moreover, LA inhibited bone destruction in vivo and osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Collectively, these results indicate that LA may be a new adjunctive therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by institutional grant from Asan Institute for Life Science (2003-330), Seoul, Korea. We thank S.K. Park and S.K. Lee (Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea) for the technical support on EMSA. We are grateful to J.R. Kim (Asan Institute for Life Science, Seoul, Korea) for animal care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Allergy and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 388-1 Pungnap-Dong, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Republic of Korea

    Eun Young Lee, Chang-Keun Lee, You Sook Cho, Hee-Bom Moon & Bin Yoo

  2. Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Ki-Up Lee & Joong Yeol Park

  3. Department of Pathology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kyung-Ja Cho

  4. Asan Institute for Life Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Hee Ran Lee & Se Hwan Moon

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  1. Eun Young Lee
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Correspondence to Bin Yoo.

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Lee, E.Y., Lee, CK., Lee, KU. et al. Alpha-lipoic acid suppresses the development of collagen-induced arthritis and protects against bone destruction in mice. Rheumatol Int 27, 225–233 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0193-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0193-5

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