{"paper_id":"b952c541-cb10-4a60-8474-0857556dbb02","body_text":"Abstract\nα-lipoic Acid (ALA), also known as thioctic acid, is a biological thiol present in all\ntypes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. It has been shown that ALA or its reduced form, DHLA,\nhas several positive effects on human health, acting as a biological antioxidant, metal chelator and\ndetoxifying agent. It is able to reduce the oxidation of several antioxidant agents like glutathione,\nvitamins C and E, and modulate insulin and NF-kB signaling pathways. ALA’s pharmacological effects\nare not only related to its antioxidant properties but it shows an anti-inflammatory action. In\nparticular, ALA is able to reduce inflammasome activity, the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels,\nsuch as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 and IL-17, interferon (INF)-γ as well as the production of Vascular\nand Intercellular cell adhesion protein (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1). In recent papers, ALA has been\nindicated as a possible therapeutic approach to several endocrine or inflammatory disorders affecting\nfemale reproduction. Aim of the current review was to assess whether ALA has an evidence-\nbased beneficial role on gynecological and obstetrical diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome\n(PCOS), endometriosis, and miscarriage.\nKeywords: α-Lipoic acid (ALA), endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), miscarriage, recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), inflammation.\n74","source_license":"public-domain-us","license_restricted":false}