Alpha Lipoic Acid
Dr. Kyle Wood
Video summary
Dr. Kyle Wood, a kidney stone specialist, discusses cystinuria, a rare genetic condition that causes recurrent cystine kidney stones, which differ from the more common calcium stones. Treatment options are limited, typically involving:
- Increased fluid intake
- Reduced salt consumption
- Alkalizing agents (like potassium citrate)
- Drugs like Thiola that make cystine more soluble
He highlights alpha lipoic acid, a supplement that showed promising results in mouse models and is now being studied in clinical trials (led by Dr. Chi and Dr. Stoller). Early data suggest it reduces stone formation and events, despite having no effect on urinary cystine levels, meaning its mechanism of action is still unclear.
Dr. Wood recommends alpha lipoic acid to his cystinuria patients due to its safety profile and early effectiveness. However, he emphasizes that patients should consult their doctors before starting any treatment.
Bottom line: Alpha lipoic acid is a promising supplement for managing cystinuria-related kidney stones, but medical guidance is essential.
FULL Video Transcript
Hey, this is Kyle Wood
with the Kidney Stone Collaborative.
I’m an associate professor at the University of Alabama
and specialize in kidney stones.
Today I kind of wanted to talk about cystinuria in the role
of alpha lipoic acid.
As many of you know, the, uh,
cystinuria is a rare genetic condition
that causes kidney stones, causes cystine stones,
which are different from the calcium
stones that most people form.
When it comes to cystinuria,
they have highly recurrent stone disease
and, uh, medications are limited in our treatment.
We do still focus on increasing fluids,
decreasing salt intake
as decreased salt shows decreased cystine in the urine
and less likely to form cystine stones.
And then there are some medications.
We come in with alkalizing agents such as potassium citrate.
And then there are medications like Thiola that are drugs
that bind to the cysteine, making them more soluble for
so less likely to form kidney stones.
So this brings up alpha lipoic acid.
Early preclinical work in mouse models of cystinuria showed
that alpha lipoic acid could help with reduction of, uh,
risk factors in stones in cystinuria in mice.
So this has gone into clinical trials now
with primary investigators being Dr.
Chi and Dr. Stoller out California.
And, uh, some of the data
that’s been presented at the American Urological Association
shows that they have decreased stone burden
and, uh, stone risk like, uh, events, stone events
with the use of alpha lipoic acid.
The nice thing about alpha lipoic acid is it’s a supplement.
It is taken by a number of individuals, does not appear
to have any consequences when taken appropriately.
And so as a treatment modality
for cystinuria, it makes a lot of sense.
I do give it to my patients
that have cystinuria given the data that we have seen so far,
again, it’s been shown to decrease stone burden.
Interestingly, when you look at the urinary parameters,
it has no effect on the urinary parameters.
So, for example, it does not decrease like cysteine levels,
so the mechanism of action is still unknown.
And so with all of that together, I do recommend
that my patients take al alpha lipoic acid.
Again, with any treatment, you need to talk
to your urologist and your physician,
and this should be catered to your individual needs.
So if you are a cystinuria patient,
you should bring this up with your nephrologist or urologist
or anybody that’s dealing with your stones
and discuss the risks and benefits.
Hope that helps and take care.