OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on intestinal flora in the rats with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) based on 16S rDNA technique. METHODS: Ten rats were randomized from 58 SPF-grade male SD rats to be the blank group. The remained 48 rats were prepared to be IBS-D models by the modified method of acetic acid enema combined with binding tail-clip stress. Forty successfully-modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group, an acupuncture group, a moxibustion group and a western medication group, with 10 rats in each one. In the acupuncture group, the needle was inserted at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and remained for 15 min in each rat. In the moxibustion group, the suspending moxibustion was delivered at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 15 min. The rats in the western medication group were given pinaverium bromide suspension (10 mL/kg) by intragastric administration. The above interventions were performed once daily for consecutive 14 days. The body mass and the score of fecal trait were compared before and after modeling, as well as after intervention in each group. Fecal water content, diarrhea index and colon transit time (CTT) were measured after modeling and intervention in the rats of each group separately. After intervention, the colonic morphology of rats in each group was observed, and using 16S rDNA technique, the intestinal flora was detected. RESULTS: After modeling, compared with the blank group, the body mass and CTT were reduced (P<0.01); fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the other 4 groups. After intervention, the body mass and CTT of the rats decreased (P<0.01), and fecal trait score, fecal water content and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. In the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group, when compared with the model group, the body mass and CTT were elevated (P<0.01), while fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index declined (P<0.01). Compared with the western medication group, fecal water content decreased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), while CTT increased in the acupuncture group (P<0.01), the body mass increased and fecal trait score was dropped in the moxibustion group (P<0.05). The colonic mucosa structure was clear and complete, and there was no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the blank group. The mild interstitial edema of intestinal mucosa was presented with the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the model group. There was the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the mucosa of the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group. Compared with the blank group, the indexes of Richness, Chao1, ACE and Shannon decreased in the model group (P<0.05). Indexes of Richness, Chao1 and ACE increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), and the Richness index in the western medication group increased (P<0.05) when compared with those in the model group. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella increased (P<0.05), and that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae decreased (P<0.05) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. When compared with the model group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella was reduced (P<0.05), while that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group; and that of Actinobacteria and Bifidobacterium increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the relative abundance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis was elevated (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis decreased (P<0.05) in the model group. The relative abundance of LPS biosynthesis was dropped (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group compared with those of the model group. CONCLUSIONS Either acupuncture or moxibustion can relieve the symptoms of IBS-D and protect intestinal mucosa, which may be associated with regulating the structure of intestinal flora and promoting nutrient metabolism and biosynthesis.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Thioctic Acid ; Ubiquinone ; Zeatin ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Diarrhea/therapy* ; Terpenes ; Water ; Folic Acid ; Acupuncture Points

Studies have found the association between hypercholesterolemia with oxidative stress and atherogenesis. Atherosclerosis has become one of the leading causes of mortality among industrial countries due to abnormal cholesterol metabolism, inflammation of arterial wall and build-up of atherosclerotic plaque. This disease has been recently linked with alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a mitochondrial compound with antioxidative effects in water- and fat-soluble mediums, in both oxidized and reduced forms: lipoic acid (LA) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), respectively. This article provides a comprehensive review of the development and progression of atherosclerosis and the roles and regulations of ALA as a potent antioxidant against atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis ; Cholesterol ; Oxidative Stress ; Inflammation ; Antioxidants ; Thioctic Acid

In a one-step fermentation system of vitamin C production with Gluconobacter oxydans and Ketogulonicigenium vulgare, a functional module of α-lipoic acid biosynthesis was constructed in G. oxydans. The engineered G. oxydans was co-cultured with K. vulgare to enhance the growth and 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KGA) production of K. vulgare. This one-step fermentation system alleviated the growth inhibition during the mono-culture of K. vulgare and strengthened the interaction between the two bacteria. Moreover, the yield of vitamin C precursor (2-KGA) increased to 73.34 g/L (the control group was 59.09 g/L), and the conversion of D-sorbitol to 2-KGA increased to 86.0%. This study provides a new idea for further optimizing the one-step fermentation system of vitamin C production.
Ascorbic Acid ; Fermentation ; Gluconobacter oxydans ; Rhodobacteraceae ; Thioctic Acid ; biosynthesis

acid (ALA) at atherosclerosis still needs to be explored. This study is aimed at investigating the concentration of plasma oxLDL and the expression of adhesion molecule of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) using rat model. Eighteen male rats were segregated into three groups labeled as control group, DM group and DM+ALA group. Type 2 diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) followed by nicotinamide (110 mg/kg). ALA was administered at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight/day throughout the feeding period of 3 weeks. Plasma oxLDL concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was measured by immunohistochemistry. Expression of abdominal aortic adhesion molecule was assessed by calculation with Adobe Photoshop CS3. Analysis of variance test was used to compare the concentration of plasma oxLDL and expression of adhesion molecule. A P-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Plasma oxLDL was lower in diabetic rat+ALA compared with the diabetic rat. Percentage of area VCAM-1 in DM+ALA group was lower than DM group. There were no significant differences between groups in intensity of VCAM-1. In conclusion, ALA showed protective effects against early atherosclerosis in diabetic rats.]]>
Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Niacinamide ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Rats ; Streptozocin ; Thioctic Acid ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

ObjectiveTo study the protective effect of lipoic acid (LA) on the spermatogenic function of the male rats with oligoasthenozoospermia induced by ornidazole (ORN).

METHODSSeventy male SD rats were equally randomized into groups A (solvent control: 1 ml 0.5% CMC-Na + 1 ml olive oil), B (low-dose ORN model: 400 mg/kg ORN suspension + 1 ml olive oil), C (low-dose ORN + low-dose LA treatment: 400 mg/kg ORN + 50 mg/kg LA), D (low-dose ORN + high-dose LA treatment: 400 mg/kg ORN + 100 mg/kg LA), E (high-dose ORN model: 800 mg/kg ORN suspension + 1 ml olive oil), F (high-dose ORN + low-dose LA treatment: 800 mg/kg ORN + 50 mg/kg LA), and G (high-dose ORN + high-dose LA treatment: 800 mg/kg ORN + 100 mg/kg LA), and treated respectively for 20 successive days. Then all the rats were sacrificed and the weights of the body, testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle obtained, followed by calculation of the organ index, determination of epididymal sperm concentration and motility, and observation of the histomorphological changes in the testis and epididymis by HE staining.

RESULTSCompared with group A, group E showed significantly decreased body weight (［117.67 ± 11.53］ vs ［88.11 ± 12.65］ g, P < 0.01) and indexes of the testis (［1.06 ± 0.12］ vs ［0.65 ± 0.13］ %, P < 0.01) and epididymis (［0.21 ± 0.03］ vs ［0.17 ± 0.01］ %, P < 0.01). In comparison with group E, group F exhibited remarkable increases in the epididymal index (［0.17 ± 0.01］ vs ［0.20 ± 0.02］ %, P < 0.01), and so did group G in the body weight (［88.11 ± 12.65］ vs ［102.70 ± 16.10］ g, P < 0.05) and the indexes of the testis (［0.65 ± 0.13］ vs ［0.95 ± 0.06］ %, P < 0.01) and epididymis (［0.17 ± 0.01］ vs ［0.19 ± 0.02］ %, P < 0.05), but no obvious difference was observed in the index of seminal vesicle among different groups. Compared with group A, group B manifested significant decreases in sperm motility (［74.12 ± 8.73］ vs ［40.25 ± 6.08］ %, P < 0.01), and so did group E in sperm count (［38.59 ± 6.40］ vs ［18.67 ± 4.59］ ×105/100 mg, P < 0.01) and sperm motility (［74.12 ± 8.73］ vs ［27.58 ± 8.43］ %, P < 0.01). Sperm motility was significantly lower in group B than in C and D (［40.25 ± 6.08］ vs ［58.13 ± 7.62］ and ［76.04 ± 8.44］%, P < 0.01), and so were sperm count and motility in group E than in F and G (［18.67 ± 4.59］ vs ［25.63 ± 9.66］ and ［29.92 ± 4.15］ ×105/100 mg, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01; ［27.58 ± 8.43］ vs ［36.56 ± 11.08］ and ［45.05 ± 9.59］ %, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). There were no obvious changes in the histomorphology of the testis and epididymis in groups A, B, C and D. Compared with group A, group E showed necrotic and exfoliated spermatogenic cells with unclear layers and disorderly arrangement in the seminiferous tubules and remarkably reduced sperm count with lots of noncellular components in the epididymal cavity, while groups F and G exhibited increased sperm count in the seminiferous tubules and epididymis lumen, also with exfoliation, unclear layers and disorderly arrangement of spermatogenic cells, but significantly better than in group E.

CONCLUSIONSLA can reduce ORN-induced damage to the spermatogenetic function of rats, improve sperm quality, and protect the reproductive system.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Asthenozoospermia ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Epididymis ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; Male ; Oligospermia ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Ornidazole ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seminal Vesicles ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; Seminiferous Tubules ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Testis ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; Thioctic Acid ; pharmacology

The introduction of intravenous nutritional therapy for cosmetic and health purposes in Korea has been controversial. Because it brings ethical problems of off-label prescribing on the basis of low level of medical evidences for claims of fatigue reduction, detoxification, anti-inflammation effect, skin whitening, antioxidant and anti-aging effects. Despite the lack of clinical studies, the verification of the efficacy and safety of intravenous nutritional therapy and the need to provide objective information to patients are prerequisite for the correct intravenous use. In addition, efforts should be made to prevent the abuse for commercial purposes.
Fatigue ; Fursultiamin ; Glutathione ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; Humans ; Korea ; Off-Label Use ; Skin ; Thioctic Acid

BACKGROUND: Diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is one of the important complications of diabetes. It is characterized by reduced heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, 75 patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group (n=41) received α-lipoic acid (ALA) at an oral dose of 600 mg/day for the first 12 weeks and then 1,200 mg/day for the next 12 weeks. The other group (n=34) received placebo treatment for 24 weeks. CAN was assessed by measuring HRVs in people with diabetes. RESULTS: Most of the baseline measures for HRVs were similar between the ALA and placebo groups. Although there were no statistically significant HRV changes in the ALA group compared to the placebo group after 24 weeks of trial, we found a positive tendency in some of the HRV parameters of the ALA group. The standard deviations of normal-to-normal RR intervals in the standing position increased by 1.87 ms in the ALA group but decreased by −3.97 ms in the placebo group (P=0.06). The power spectrum of the low frequency (LF) band in the standing position increased by 15.77 ms² in the ALA group, whereas it declined by −15.04 ms² in the placebo group (P=0.08). The high frequency/LF ratio in the upright position increased by 0.35 in the ALA group, whereas it declined by −0.42 in the placebo group (P=0.06). There were no differences between the two groups regarding rates of adverse events. CONCLUSION: Although a slight improvement tendency was seen in HRV in the ALA group, there were no statistically significant HRV changes in the ALA group compared to the placebo group after 24 weeks of trial. However, the high oral dose of ALA was well-tolerated.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Multicenter Studies as Topic ; Posture ; Thioctic Acid

Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) is characterized by spontaneous hypoglycemia, extremely high serum insulin levels, and high titers of autoantibodies against endogenous insulin, in the absence of exogenous insulin injection. IAS often occurs following exposure to sulfhydryl-containing drugs, including alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). A 30-year-old woman without diabetes visited our outpatient clinic with recurrent hypoglycemia. She had been taken ALA for weight reduction since 3 weeks ago. Further hypoglycemia work up revealed very high insulin levels, C-Peptide levels and positive insulin antibodies. And conventional imaging examinations were negative for insulinoma or other pancreatic tumors. Finally, the diagnosis of Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) was made. Following the cessation of ALA, hypoglycemia improved, with no medication, and the patient experienced no further hypoglycemic attacks over the next month. The use of ALA as a nutritional supplement is increasing. We report a case of IAS associated with ALA in a non-diabetic patient.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Autoantibodies ; C-Peptide ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin Antibodies ; Insulin* ; Insulinoma ; Thioctic Acid* ; Weight Loss

Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) is characterized by spontaneous hypoglycemia, extremely high serum insulin levels, and high titers of autoantibodies against endogenous insulin, in the absence of exogenous insulin injection. IAS often occurs following exposure to sulfhydryl-containing drugs, including alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). A 30-year-old woman without diabetes visited our outpatient clinic with recurrent hypoglycemia. She had been taken ALA for weight reduction since 3 weeks ago. Further hypoglycemia work up revealed very high insulin levels, C-Peptide levels and positive insulin antibodies. And conventional imaging examinations were negative for insulinoma or other pancreatic tumors. Finally, the diagnosis of Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) was made. Following the cessation of ALA, hypoglycemia improved, with no medication, and the patient experienced no further hypoglycemic attacks over the next month. The use of ALA as a nutritional supplement is increasing. We report a case of IAS associated with ALA in a non-diabetic patient.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Autoantibodies ; C-Peptide ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin Antibodies ; Insulin ; Insulinoma ; Thioctic Acid ; Weight Loss

Lipoic acid (LA) is widely present in the body as a disulfide compound with an extensive biological activity and a strong antioxidant capacity. LA plays an antioxidant role by removing oxygen free radicals, chelating metal ions, and regenerating other antioxidants in the body. Recent studies have shown the effects of LA in the prevention or treatment of male reproductive disorders, such as idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia, diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction and infertility, serious infection in the reproductive system, and reproductive system injuries caused by chemotherapeutic agents, ionizing radiation, environmental toxins, testicular ischemia reperfusion, excessive exercise, and so on.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; therapeutic use ; Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus ; drug therapy ; Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy ; Oxidative Stress ; Thioctic Acid ; physiology ; therapeutic use