Summary
Untreated streptozotocin-diabetic (7 weeks duration) rats showed reductions (all p < 0.01; percentages in brackets) in motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity (MNCV; 14 %, SNCV; 17 %) and in sciatic nerve contents of nerve growth factor (NGF; 57 %), substance P (SP; 53 %) and neuropeptide Y (NPY; 39 %). Treatment with a γ-linolenic acid-α-lipoic acid conjugate (GLA-LA; 35 mg · day–1· rat–1) attenuated (p < 0.05) these reductions to MNCV (8 %), SNCV (5 %), NGF (19 %), SP (23 %), NPY (20 %), such that the values in GLA-LA-treated diabetic rats did not differ significantly from those of control non-diabetic animals. Treatment with alpha-lipoic acid alone at 100 mg/kg i. p. was without effect on these variables except for NGF (33 % reduction, p < 0.05) and treatment with the antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (1.5 % dietary supplement) did not affect any deficits. These data show that GLA-LA is effective in improving both electrophysiological and neurochemical correlates of experimental diabetic neuropathy. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 839–843]
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Received: 9th February 1998 and in revised from: 20th March 1998
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Hounsom, L., Horrobin, D., Tritschler, H. et al. A lipoic acid-gamma linolenic acid conjugate is effective against multiple indices of experimental diabetic neuropathy. Diabetologia 41, 839–843 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250050996
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250050996