Effects of Thioctic Acid on the Oxidative Status Tissues in Rheumatoid Arthritis in Rats

Biochemiluminescence, aconitate hydratase activity, and citrate contents were studied in rat serum and muscle in normal animals and in experimental rheumatoid arthritis; the actions of thioctic acid on the background of the development of this pathology were also studied. The development of rheumatoid arthritis in rats was accompanied by increases in marker values and measures of biochemiluminescence, as well as decreases in aconitate hydratase activity, evidently due to the extreme generation of reactive oxygen species associated with the induction of pathology. Suppression of the activity of this enzyme was linked with the accumulation of citrate in the tissues of the experimental rats. Administration of thioctic acid to rats with rheumatoid arthritis was accompanied by changes in values towards the normal, which was evidently linked with the antioxidant action of this compound.