Effects of α-lipoic acid adjuvant therapy on renal function and levels of hs-CRP and TNF-α in serum in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Objective To investigate the effects of α-lipoic acid adjuvant therapy on renal function and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Methods Ninety-eight patients with diabetic nephropathy who were treated in Liaocheng Second People’s Hospital from September 2017 to May 2019 were enrolled in the study. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the control group and observation group, with 49 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were given conventional treatment, while patients in the observation group were treated with α-lipoic acid injection based on the treatment of the control group. The renal function level, inflammatory response index and adverse events were observed and compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the levels of cycstatin C, retinol-binding protein, hs-CRP, TNF-α, high mobility group box-1 protein and chemokine in the two groups were lower than those indexes levels prior to treatment (P 0.05). Conclusions Using α-lipoic acid adjuvant therapy can effectively protect the renal function of patients with diabetic nephropathy, reduce the levels of hs-CRP and TNF-α, reduce the inflammatory response, without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions, which is safe and reliable in clinical. Key words: Diabetic nephropathies; α-lipoic acid; Renal function; Hypersensitive C-reactive protein; Tumor necrosis factor-α