Alpha lipoic acid administration improved both peripheral sensitivity to insulin and liver clearance of insulin reducing potential risk of diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight/obese PCOS patients

Figures & data

Table 1. Hormonal and metabolic parameters of PCOS under study (n = 32).

PCOS (n = 32)	LH mIU/mL	FSH mIU/mL	TSH µIU/mL	E2 pg/mL	PRL ng/mL	A ng/mL	17-OHP ng/mL	Glucose mg/dL	Insulin µIU/mL	Total cholestrol mg/dL	HDL-C mg/dL	LDL-C mg/dL	TG mg/dL	AST U/L	ALT U/L		DHEAS µg/mL	HOMA-IR index	BMI	C-peptide mg/dL	HIE index
Baseline
Mean ± SEM	10.1 ± 1.08	5.3 ± 0.27	2.7 ± 0.37	48.8 ± 6.2	20.0 ± 2.6	2.86 ± 0.2	1.25 ± 0.1	92.5 ± 2.2	16.4 ± 2.1	181 ± 6.4	47.7 ± 2.2	136 ± 9.3	109 ± 13	22.4 ± 1.9		26.5 ± 2.7	2.23 ± 0.2	3.96 ± 0.6	32.0 ± 1.3	2.6 ± 0.2	5.81 ± 0.3
p level vs under treatment								0.047	0.006					0.048		0.014		0.002			0.01
Under treatment
Mean ± SEM	9.98 ± 1.3	5.3 ± 0.27	3.68 ± 1.0	67.2 ± 22	22.2 ± 4.3	3.1 ± 0.32	1.8 ± 0.3	88.1 ± 1.6	12.5 ± 1.7	173 ± 8.2	47.1 ± 2.5	121 ± 11	98 ± 10.2	19.3 ± 0.9	18.4 ± 1.1		3.01 ± 0.6	2.8 ± 0.4	31.1 ± 1.3	2.48 ± 0.2	4.9 ± 0.38

Table 2. Hormonal and metabolic parameters of PCOS patients under study, subdivided according the presence or absence of familial diabetes background.

PCOS patients	LH mIU/mL	FSH mIU/mL	TSH µIU/mL	E2 pg/mL	PRL ng/mL	A ng/mL	17-OHP ng/mL	Glucose mg/dL	Insulin µIU/mL	Total cholesterol mg/dL	HDL mg/dL	LDL mg/dL	TG mg/dL	AST U/L	ALT U/L	DHEAS µg/mL	HOMA-IR index	BMI	C-peptide mg/dL	HIE
Familial diabetes background (n = 20)
Baseline
mean ± SEM	10.4 ± 1.2	5.53 ± 0.3	2.6 ± 0.5	51.8 ± 8.8	20.9 ± 2.5	2.64 ± 0.2	1.3 ± 0.2	89.5 ± 1.9	15.1 ± 1.8	184 ± 8.8	49.0 ± 3.1	139 ± 13	111 ± 16	23.5 ± 0.7	27.7 ± 1.4	2.4 ± 0.37	3.37 ± 0.4	31.4 ± 1.8	2.54 ± 0.2	5.8 ± 0.47
p value vs. under treatment									0.021					0.05	0.014		0.027			0.05
p value vs. no familial diabetes background														0.05	0.05
Under treatment
mean ± SEM	8.8 ± 1.1	5.6 ± 0.3	4.28 ± 1.4	60.6 ± 12	23.1 ± 6.3	2.8 ± 0.3	1.52 ± 0.3	89.4 ± 1.5	11.9 ± 1.5	178 ± 10	50.0 ± 3.1	127 ± 14	100 ± 15	20.0 ± 1.0	19.3 ± 1.3	3.4 ± 0.73	2.67 ± 0.3	31.7 ± 1.5	2.57 ± 0.3	4.8 ± 0.3
p value vs. no familial diabetes background	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS	NS
	LH mIU/mL	FSH mIU/mL	TSH µIU/mL	E2 pg/mL	PRL ng/mL	A ng/mL	17-OHP ng/mL	Glucose mg/dL	Insulin µIU/mL	Total cholesterol mg/dL	HDL-C mg/dL	LDL-C mg/dL	TG mg/dL	AST U/L	ALT U/L	DHEAS µg/mL	HOMA-IR index	BMI	C-peptide mg/dL	HIE
No Fam diabetes (n = 12)
Baseline
mean ± SEM	9.4 ± 2.5	5.0 ± 0.5	2.95±	43.4 ± 8.6	18.5 ± 6.4	3.28 ± 0.6	1.2 ± 0.2	97.73 ± 5	18.7 ± 5	174 ± 9.4	45.5 ± 2.9	131 ± 14	107 ± 23	20.7 ± 1.8	24.34±	1.91 ± 0.3	4.98 ± 1.6	32.7 ± 2.2	2.8 ± 0.5	5.86 ± 0.6
p value vs. under treatment								0.005	0.05								0.014
Under treatment
mean ± SEM	10.2 ± 3.1	4.74 ± 0.5	2.21 ± 0.6	79.4 ± 26	19.9 ± 3.6	3.7 ± 0.8	1.5 ± 0.56	85.6 ± 3.7	12.5 ± 4.3	163 ± 15	41.6 ± 4.2	116 ± 18	94.4 ± 8.3	18.0 ± 2	16.6 ± 2.3	2.07 ± 1.6	2.8 ± 1.17	29.9 ± 2.7	2.3 ± 0.3	6.0 ± 0.9

Figure 1. Response of glucose (left panel), insulin (middle panel) and insulin (right panel) to OGTT before and after 12 weeks of complementary treatment with ALA (400 mg/day) in all PCOS patients (n = 32). ALA treatment significantly decreases all responses. Left panel: ** p < .01, *** p < .007; middle panel: * p < .02, ** p < .006, *** p < .005; right panel: * p < .01, *** p < .0002.

Figure 2. Mean calculated HIE index all along the OGTT. HIE index significantly decreased after ALA treatment interval. * p < .03, ** p < .003, *** p < .001.

Figure 3. Response of glucose (left panel), insulin (middle panel) and insulin (right panel) to OGTT before and after 12 weeks of complementary treatment with ALA (400 mg/day) in PCOS patients with a history of familial diabetes (n = 20). ALA treatment significantly decreases insulin response but not those of glucose and C-peptide. *** p < .001.

Figure 4. Response of glucose (left panel), insulin (middle panel) and insulin (right panel) to OGTT before and after 12 weeks of complementary treatment with ALA (400 mg/day) in PCOS patients with a familial diabetes background (n = 12). ALA treatment significantly decreases insulin response but not those of glucose and C-peptide. * p < .05.

Figure 5. Mean calculated HIE index all along the OGTT for PCOS patients without (left panel) and with familial diabetes background (right panel). This latter group showed the majority of significant changes all along the points of the OGTT. * p < .03, ** p < .01, *** p < .009.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article.