Protective effect of alpha lipoic acid against oxidative damage caused by valproic acid on lung tissue in rats

Valproic acid (VPA) is a short-chain fatty acid used to treat disorders of the brain. When VPA is used for long term, it causes damage, particularly through the formation of free radicals. The lungs are among the organs most affected by long-term VPA treatment. Some antioxidant substances are used to prevent damage caused by free radicals. One of these substances is alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which occurs naturally. In our study, the protective effect of ALA against VPA-induced lung injury was investigated. In this study, female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The 1st group served as the control (1 mL olive oil); the 2nd group received ALA (50 mg/kg/day) for 15 days; the 3rd group received VPA (0.5 g/kg/day) for 15 days; and the 4th group received both VPA and ALA at the same doses and for the same duration. ALA and VPA were dissolved in olive oil. On day 16, all groups were euthanized under anesthesia. The lung tissues were collected and homogenized. In the prepared supernatants, the levels of reduced glutathione and total antioxidant status, and the activities of glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, paraoxonase, carbonic anhydrase, aryl esterase, and superoxide dismutase were decreased in the VPA group, while sialic acid, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species, total oxidant, oxidative stress index, hydroxyproline, glycoprotein levels, and xanthine oxidase activities were increased in the VPA group. These values were reversed in ALA when VPA was administered. As a result, it may be concluded that ALA exerts protective effects against VPA-induced lung damage.