IMPAIRED LIPID-METABOLISM IN CALCIUM-OXALATE STONE FORMING RATS AND DL-ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION

Oxalate, the major renal stone forming constituent, from dietary sourc es like - spinach, rhubarb, strawberries, tea etc., has been reported to induce lipid peroxidation and alter the lipid profiles. Physiologic al availability or biosynthesis of DL alpha-lipoic acid, a shadow nutr ient, from arachidonic acid is diminished when health is impaired. DL alpha-lipoic acid has been reported to counteract calcium oxalate crsy tallisation in renal tubules of dogs. DL alpha-lipoic acid, apart from its antilipemic action, has been reported to exert its therapeutic ef fect in pathologies where free radicals are involved. This motivated u s to study the role of this nutrient in relation to lipids, lipoprotei ns and lipid peroxidative changes in blood of calcium oxalate stone fo rming rats. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids were si gnificantly increased in the calculogenic rats. Lipoate treatment decr eased the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both controls and sto ne forming rats. In contrast, phospholipid level remained unchanged in both controls and stone formers with lipoate administration. In the c alculogenic rats, the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio showed no change where as with lipoate administration there was a decrease in the treated gro ups: An increase in lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activi ty associated with a decrease in catalase activity and reduced glutath ione levels, were observed in the erythrocytes of stone forming rats. There was a pronounced decrease in peroxidation levels and an increase in antioxidant status in the lipoate treated rats: The antilithic, an tilipemic and antioxidant effect of DL alpha-lipoic acid paves way for its therapeutic effectiveness in urolithiasis.