Alpha-lipoic acid modifies circulating angiogenic factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Circulating VEGF, bFGF and IL-10 increase as the result of therapy with lipoic acid.
• Circulating MCP-1 decrease as the result of therapy with lipoic acid.
• Treatment with lipoic acid does not affect IL-12 and angiogenin in serum.
• Lipoic acid may influence angiogenesis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AimsIn recent years interest has been focused on angiogenesis as a process involved in coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetic distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN). Recent studies have demonstrated the possible angiogenesis-modulating potential of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) for DSPN and CAD. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of ALA on serum angiogenic factors in patients with DM-2 (type 2 diabetes) with CAD and DSPN.MethodsSixty patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) and CAD and 25 non-diabetic subjects were studied. Thirty patients with T2DM, CAD and DSPN were given 600 mg of ALA a day for 90 days. VEGF, bFGF, MCP-1, angiogenin, IL-12 and IL-10 concentrations in the sera were measured by flow cytometry.ResultsALA significantly increased VEGF, bFGF and IL-10 and decreased MCP-1 serum concentrations in patients with T2DM and CAD and DSPN. VEGF and IL-10 serum levels, both before and after ALA-treatment, were higher in this group than in T2DM and CAD patients, while circulating bFGF was higher and MCP-1 serum level lower in patients with T2DM and CAD and DSPN only in the post-ALA-treatment, compared to the T2DM and CAD group.ConclusionsALA may influence angiogenesis in type 2 diabetic patients through an effect on some circulating factors including VEGF, bFGF, MCP-1 and IL-10.