Effects of lipoic acid supplementation on age- and iron-induced memory impairment, mitochondrial DNA damage and antioxidant responses

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 60; no. 7; pp. 3679 - 3690
• Main Authors: Molz, Patrícia, de Freitas, Betânia Souza, Uberti, Vanise Hallas, da Costa, Kesiane Mayra, Kist, Luiza Wilges, Bogo, Maurício Reis, Schröder, Nadja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Antioxidants; Carbonyl compounds; Caspase-3; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cognitive ability; DNA damage; Electron transport chain; Enzymes; Gene expression; Iron; Lipoic acid; Memory; Mitochondrial DNA; Neurodegenerative diseases; Nutrition; Original Contribution; Pattern recognition; Supplements; Aging; Lipoic acid; Mitochondria; Iron; Antioxidant; Memory
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-021-02541-z

Purpose To investigate the effects of lipoic acid (LA) supplementation during adulthood combined with supplementation later in life or LA administration only at old age on age-induced cognitive dysfunction, mitochondrial DNA deletions, caspase 3 and antioxidant response enzymes expression in iron-treated rats. Methods Male rats were submitted to iron treatment (30 mg/kg body wt of Carbonyl iron) from 12 to 14th post-natal days. Iron-treated rats received LA supplementation (50 mg/kg, daily) in adulthood and old age or at old age only for 21 days. Memory, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) complex I deletions, caspase 3 mRNA expression and antioxidant response enzymes mRNA expression were analyzed in the hippocampus. Results LA administration in adulthood combined with treatment later in life was able to reverse age-induced effects on object recognition and inhibitory avoidance memory, as well as on mtDNA deletions, nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 ( Nrf2) expression, and antioxidant enzymes disruption induced by iron in aged rats. LA treatment only at old age reversed iron-induced effects to a lesser extent when compared to the combined treatment. Conclusion The present findings support the view that LA supplementation may be considered as an adjuvant against mitochondrial damage and cognitive decline related to aging and neurodegenerative disorders.