Alpha-lipoic Acid: An Antioxidant with Anti-Aging Properties for Disease Therapy

The anti-aging effects of alpha-lipoic acid (alpha LA), a natural antioxidant synthesized in human tissues, have attracted a growing interest in recent years. alpha LA is a short-chain sulfur-containing fatty acid occurring in the mitochondria of all kinds of eukaryotic cells. Both the oxidized disulfide of alpha LA and its reduced form (dihydrolipoic acid, DHLA) exhibit prominent antioxidant function. The amount of alpha LA inside the human body gradually decreases with age resulting in various health disorders. Its lack can be compensated by supplying from external sources such as dietary supplements or medicinal dosage forms. The primary objectives of this study were the analysis of updated information on the latest two-decade research regarding the use of alpha LA from an anti-aging perspective. The information was collected from PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov. Numerous in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies revealed that alpha LA shows a protective role in biological systems by direct or indirect reactive oxygen/nitrogen species quenching. alpha LA demonstrated beneficial properties in the prevention and treatment of many age-related disorders such as neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders, different cancers, nephropathy, infertility, and skin senescence. Its preventive effects in case of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are of particular interest. Further mechanistic and clinical studies are highly recommended to evaluate the wide spectrum of alpha LA therapeutic potential that could optimize its dietary intake for prevention and alleviation disorders related to aging.