<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>This study investigated the effect of administration of
<italic>α</italic>-lipoic acid (LA) on lipid metabolism in high fructose–fed insulin-resistant rats. High-fructose feeding (60 g/100 g
diet) to normal rats resulted in a significant increase in
the concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), free
fatty acids (FFAs), and phospholipids in plasma, liver, kidney,
and skeletal muscle. Reduced activities of lipoprotein
lipase (LPL) and lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase
(LCAT) and increased activity of the lipogenic enzyme
hydroxymethylglutaryl–coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase
were observed in plasma and liver. High-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lowered
and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly
elevated. Treatment with LA (35 mg/kg body weight
intraperitoneal) reduced the effects of fructose. The rats
showed near-normal levels of lipid components on plasma
and tissues. Activities of key enzymes of lipid metabolism
were also restored to normal values. Cholesterol distribution
in the plasma lipoproteins was normalized, resulting in
a favorable lipid profile. This study demonstrates that LA
can alter lipid metabolism in fructose-fed insulin-resistant
rats and may have implications in the treatment of insulin
resistance.</p>
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Exp Diabesity Res. 2004; 5(3):195-200