Feeding acetyl- l -carnitine and lipoic acid to old rats significantly improves metabolic function while decreasing oxidative stress

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.261708898
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T14:36:44Z
• Authors: Tory M. Hagen; Jiankang Liu; Jens Lykkesfeldt; Carol M. Wehr; Russell T. Ingersoll; Vladimir Vinarsky; James C. Bartholomew; Bruce N. Ames
• Keywords: Malondialdehyde

Mitochondrial-supported bioenergetics decline and oxidative stress increases during aging. To address whether the dietary addition of acetyl- l -carnitine [ALCAR, 1.5% (wt/vol) in drinking water] and/or ( R )-α-lipoic acid [LA, 0.5% (wt/wt) chow] improved these endpoints, young (2–4 mo) old (24–28 F344 rats were supplemented for up to 1 mo before death hepatocyte isolation. ALCAR+LA partially reversed age-related average mitochondrial membrane potential significantly increased P = 0.02) hepatocellular O 2 consumption, indicating that mitochondrial-supported cellular metabolism was markedly by this feeding regimen. also ambulatory activity both rats; moreover, improvement greater 0.03) versus animals when compared with fed ALCAR or LA alone. determine affected indices stress, ascorbic markers lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) monitored. The ascorbate level declined age 0.003) but restored seen given. malondialdehyde, which higher 0.0001) rats, after supplementation not different from unsupplemented rats. Feeding combination lowered more than either compound