Effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress, and serum lipid profile levels in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress, and serum lipid profile levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients. DESIGN: This was a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: The present study involved HD centers in Tabriz, Iran. PATIENTS: Participants included 63 patients with end-stage renal disease (43 men and 20 women; age range: 22-79 years) undergoing maintenance HD. INTERVENTION: HD patients were randomly assigned into the supplemented group (n = 31), receiving a daily dose of ALA (600 mg), or a control group (n = 32), receiving placebo for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of supplementation. RESULTS: At the end of intervention, 11 patients were excluded from the study. HsCRP levels decreased by 18.7% in the supplemented group after 8 weeks of supplementation, and the reduction was significant in comparison with the placebo group (P < .05); this finding was also significant after adjusting for baseline values of hsCRP. The mean malondialdehyde and total antioxidant status levels did not change significantly in the 2 groups during the study. The mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations increased significantly in the supplemented group at the end of the study (P < .05); however, this improvement was not statistically significant as compared with the placebo group. No significant alterations were observed in the other lipid profile parameters within each group during the study. CONCLUSION: ALA supplementation significantly reduced hsCRP levels, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in HD patients.