Abstract
Studies were made on the urinary excretion of α-lipoic acid and its content of blood serum, kindney and liver tissue, using mature and weaning rats, fed on the low-protein diet (casein 5 %) and standard diet (casein 18%). In the low-protein fed mature rats, the α-lipoic acid levels were low as compared with the control. In weaning rats, the serum levels and hepatic contents decreased but renal contents were rather increased. The hepatic content of α-lipoic acid decreased most remarkably in weaning rats of protein deficiency. The α-lipoic acid contents in liver tissue were low in young rats fed on the trypthophan or lysine deficient diet. Those results suggest that appropriate intake of protein and well-balanced amino-acid in diet are required for the maintenance of normal metabolic process of α-lipoic acid.
