Alpha lipoic acid

About Alpha-Lipoic Acid 

Alpha lipoic acid is light yellow powder crystal, almost tasteless. The solubility in water is small, about 1 g/L (20°C). Soluble in 10% NaOH solution, soluble in aliphatic solvent. Soluble in methanol, ethanol, chloroform, ether.

Alpha lipoic acid is also called alpha lipoic acid.

Alpha lipoic acid has a chiral center and therefore has two configurations R and S.

Natural Alpha lipoic acid is a white crystal with only R configuration, and only R-configuration lipoic acid can be covalently conjugated to lysine residues through amide bonds to function as a coenzyme. 

Chemical Construction of alpha lipoic acid

Alpha lipoic acid exists as a structural mixture of closed-loop disulfide and open-chain reduction forms, which are converted to each other through the oxidation-reduction cycle. Like biotin, Alpha lipoic acid often does not actually exist free. Instead, it is covalently bound to the ε-NH2 group of the lysine residue in the carboxyl isoenzyme molecule (such as dihydrolipoate acetyltransferase) by an amide bond (structurally very similar to biocytotin). Enzymes that catalyze the formation of the thioctanamide bond require ATP, and as reaction products produce thioctanamide - enzyme conjugate, AMP, and pyrophosphoric acid. Alpha lipoic acid was isolated into crystals in 1951 by L. J. Reed et al. Because it is a sulfur-containing fatty acid, it is classified as a fat-soluble vitamin. However, because it participates in biochemical reactions with coenzymes such as TPP and NAD in body metabolism, some people classify it as B vitamins based on the unity of structure and function. 

Super antioxidant "alpha lipoic acid" 

Alpha Lipoic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid) is a water-soluble and fat-soluble metabolic antioxidant, a vitamin-like substance. Dr. Lester Parker, a professor of molecular cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world's leading researchers on antioxidants, and he calls alpha-lipoic acid a "super antioxidant," one of the "most powerful and most active" of all antioxidants.

1. Help patients reduce their dependence on insulin and hypoglycemic drugs

Alpha-lipoic acid is a versatile oxygen activator with both fat and water solubility, and the action of lipoic acid is more durable than other antioxidants. Lipoic acid can balance blood sugar, promote glucose absorption, improve blood sugar control in diabetic patients, and reduce the use of insulin or hypoglycemic drugs.

2. Protect the nervous tissue of diabetic patients and help treat peripheral neuropathy

Foreign studies have shown that alpha lipoic acid can significantly improve the clinical symptoms caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and it has been recommended for adjuvant treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Germany for more than 30 years. Alpha-lipoic acid protects nerve tissue in diabetic patients and helps treat inflammation caused by protein deposits in nerve cells.

3. Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant

The antioxidant capacity of alpha lipoic acid is 5-10 times that of grape seeds, and the antioxidant capacity of grape seeds is 20 times that of vitamin C. 60 times of vitamin E, both fat soluble and water soluble properties, can be absorbed by various tissues and organs.

Alpha lipoic acid questions

1: Why does the human body lack alpha-lipoic acid ?

Natural foods originally contain a certain amount of alpha-lipoic acid, such as liver, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, meat, heart and kidneys, but in the processing of food, alpha-lipoic acid is destroyed. In the early 1950s, people have mastered the separation technology of alpha-lipoic acid, and it has been confirmed that the human body can synthesize alpha-lipoic acid under normal conditions. However, this ability to synthesize is very weak, has a strong relationship with diet, and will gradually decrease with age. At the same time, environmental pollution and excess food caused the body to produce more free oxygen, but also increased the consumption of alpha-lipoic acid. In addition, alpha-lipoic acid in the human body lack of vitamin C and vitamin E, but also to replace their role, which further promotes the deficiency of alpha-lipoic acid. The nature of alpha-lipoic acid determines that it is easy to be destroyed and consumed, and eventually causes the deficiency of alpha-lipoic acid, resulting in insufficient energy production and inducing a series of diseases. 

2：Who needs a alpha-lipoic acid supplement ？

alpha-lipoic acid should be an essential nutritional supplement for every patient with diabetes or mild hyperglycemia. In addition, alpha-lipoic acid is also used in compound liver protection products as a necessary nutrient for liver cell repair. Although healthy young people should also supplement antioxidants for maintenance, they do not need to supplement alpha-lipoic acid. People with a familial genetic risk of diabetes, even if they have not yet developed clinical symptoms of diabetes, can prevent and delay the development of diabetes by diet, exercise, weight control, and supplementation with low doses of Alpha lipoic acid.

For the skin prone to dry fine lines or aging cortex, you can also choose Alpha lipoic acid acid as the main ingredient of anti-wrinkle skin care products.