Combined efficacies of dl-α-lipoic acid and meso 2,3 dimercaptosuccinic acid against arsenic induced toxicity in antioxidant systems of rats

Health hazards caused by heavy metals have become a great concern to the population. Arsenic as an environmental agent is considered to be a toxic substance due to its carcinogenic potential in humans. Since arsenic compounds might exert their toxicity by the generation of reactive oxygen species, we have evaluated the effect of both dl-α-lipoic acid (LA) and meso 2,3 dimercapto succinic acid (DMSA) on the antioxidants and lipid peroxidation in arsenic treated rats. The objective of the study was to determine whether dl-α-lipoic acid and meso 2,3 dimercapto succinic acid could rehabitate antioxidant depletion and damage to biomolecules in protection against oxidative insults. A significant increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species formation and lipid peroxidation and decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes were observed in arsenic exposed rats. Supplementation of dl-α-lipoic acid and meso 2,3 dimercapto succinic acid to arsenic fed rats significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase with elevation in the levels of reduced glutathione, total sulfhydryl, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol. In addition, significant decrease in the levels of reactive oxygen species formation and lipid peroxidation was also observed in our study. From our results, we conclude that dl-α-lipoic acid and meso 2,3 dimercapto succinic acid play a synergistic role in decreasing arsenic induced oxidative damage by elevating the antioxidant status in liver and kidney.