Alpha-Lipoic Acid Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Injury Repair by Regulating MAPK Signaling Pathways

Abstract

Intestinal epithelial cells are an essential barrier in human gastrointestinal tract, and healing of epithelial wound is a key process in many intestinal diseases. α-Lipoic acid (ALA) was shown to have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, which could be helpful in intestinal epithelial injury repair. The effects of ALA in human colonic epithelial cells NCM460 and human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells Caco-2 were studied. ALA significantly promoted NCM460 and Caco-2 migration, increased mucosal tight junction factors ZO-1 and OCLN expression, and ALA accelerated cell injury repair of both cells in wound healing assay. Western blot analysis indicated that ALA inhibited a variety of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in the epithelial cells. In conclusion, ALA was beneficial to repair of intestinal epithelial injury by regulating MAPK signaling pathways.

Nanotechnological Approaches to Enhance the Potential of α-Lipoic Acid for Application in the Clinic

“…Also, α-lipoic acid has been suggested to have immunomodulatory activity on both innate and adaptive immune cells, down-regulating the proinflammatory markers and reducing the inflammatory response [ 11 , 42 ]. The topical application of α-lipoic acid has proved effective in skin-related conditions, such as ageing and wound healing, in which its antimicrobial properties may ensure a safe repair of skin damage [ 11 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. The use of α-lipoic acid was also investigated in cancer research and it was described as having antiproliferative and antimetastatic activity in different cancer models [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ].…”