Lipoic acid attenuates cholestasis induced cerebral injury in rats

Cholestasis is characterized by an abnormal accumulation of bile acids, which is caused by defectiveness
in the process of bile acid transport. It is believed that oxidative stress is a likely mediator for cholestatic damage
and antioxidant therapy is a recommended therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate protective
effect o alpha lipoic acid as an anti oxidant agent on cerebral injury after bile act ligation in rats. forty five adult
male wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups each containing fifteen rats as follows: sham operation
(SO) (control), bile duct ligation (BDL), and BDL+LA (25mg/kg). After fourteen day’s cerebral tissue sampled for
pathologic and biochemical studies. Levels of SOD and GPx antioxidant enzymes were higher in BDL+LA group
comparing to BDL group significantly, histologic damage and MDA levels were higher in BDL group comparing to
BDL+LA group significantly (P<0.05). In our study LA treatment in BDL rats improved cellular SOD and GPx
levels and reduced MDA levels in BDL+LA group comparing to BDL group. The findings of our present study
showed that LA, with its potent free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties, seems to be a highly promising
agent in protecting cerebral tissue against oxidative damage