Alpha-lipoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid : a positive interaction on the carrageenan inflammatory response in rats

Peripheral nerves are subject to the same types of problems as other tissues: inflammation, toxicity, swelling, permeability, leading to neuropathies. Nutrients offer an alternative for people who want to avoid the side effects of prescription drugs. These studies were designed to assess the pharmacodynamic interaction between alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in controlling the inflammatory response induced by carrageenan in the rat. Particularly, the activity of ALA (100 mg/kg per os) and DHA (200 mg/kg per os), given alone or in combination, was evaluated by paw oedema method. The results of the present study clearly indicate that the new formulation containing ALA plus DHA, in a range of 2:1, had significantly greater effect than either DHA or ALA alone in antagonizing carrageenan-induced inflammatory response. These results indicate that ALA plus DHA induce a favourable pharmacodynamic interaction which can be considered to be synergistic, at least in these experimental settings