| Abstract
| - α-Lipoic acid (LA) is used in dietary supplements or food with antioxidative functions. The mechanismfor the intestinal absorption of α-lipoic acid was investigated in this study by using human intestinalCaco-2 cell monolayers. LA was rapidly transported across the Caco-2 cell monolayers, this transportbeing energy-dependent, suggesting transporter-mediated transport to be the mechanism involved.The LA transport was strongly dependent on the pH value, being accelerated in the acidic pH range.Furthermore, such monocarboxylic acids as benzoic acid and medium-chain fatty acids significantlyinhibited LA transport, suggesting that a proton-linked monocarboxylic acid transporter (MCT) wasinvolved in the intestinal transport of LA. The conversion of LA to the more antioxidative dihydrolipoicacid was also apparent during the transport process. Keywords: Caco-2; α-lipoic acid; dihydrolipoic acid; monocarboxylic acid transporter; intestinalabsorption; transepithelial transport
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