Ingredient intelligence
Alpha-lipoic acid
Antioxidant · Thioctic Acid · C8H14O2S2
Alpha-lipoic acid is a dithiol of mitochondrial dehydrogenase complexes and an amphipathic redox agent.
Any underlined term can be tapped for an everyday-English translation.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C8H14O2S2
- Molecular weight
- 206.33 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 864
- ChEBI
- CHEBI:16494
Biological targets
Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD)
high confidencetargets · enzyme
UniProt P09622NF-E2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2)
low confidenceactivates · receptor
UniProt Q16236
How could this ingredient interact with biology?
Biological network
Ingredient → molecule → target → gene/protein → pathway → process → studied outcome. Relationship strength is drawn from the curated confidence tier; nothing is added to make the chain look complete.
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3 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Alpha-lipoic acid is molecule Alpha-lipoic acid — high confidence
- Alpha-lipoic acid targets Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) — high confidence
- Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) encoded by DLD — high confidence
- DLD participates in Pyruvate metabolism and citric acid cycle — high confidence
- DLD participates in Detoxification of reactive oxygen species — medium confidence
- Pyruvate metabolism and citric acid cycle associated with Cellular energy metabolism — high confidence
- Detoxification of reactive oxygen species associated with Cellular energy metabolism — medium confidence
- Pyruvate metabolism and citric acid cycle associated with Oxidative stress response — medium confidence
- Detoxification of reactive oxygen species associated with Oxidative stress response — medium confidence
Biological pathways
Pyruvate metabolism and citric acid cycle
high confidenceLipoamide function in dehydrogenase complexes.
Reactome R-HSA-71406
Detoxification of reactive oxygen species
medium confidenceRedox cycling in both aqueous and phases.
Reactome R-HSA-3299685
Evidence engine
Moderate
Some human evidence exists, but replication or sample sizes are limited.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
61
experimental · of 100
This index is a research-navigation aid describing how much evidence exists and how it was produced. It is not a medical safety score, an efficacy guarantee, or a clinical recommendation.
Study composition
- Randomised controlled trial2
- Total studies
- 2
- Human studies
- 2
- Largest sample
- 33
- Range
- 2003–2003
Index breakdown
- Study design quality90% × 28%
Mean design weight across curated studies (meta-analysis 1.0, RCT 0.9, other human 0.7, review 0.45, animal 0.35, in-vitro 0.25).
- Human evidence share67% × 22%
Proportion of curated evidence measured in people rather than cells or animals.
- Evidence volume50% × 14%
Log-scaled count of curated studies, so volume alone cannot dominate the score.
- Largest sample size51% × 12%
Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.
- Replication67% × 12%
Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.
- Recency0% × 7%
Linear decay over a twenty-year window from the most recent curated publication.
- Source traceability0% × 5%
Share of curated studies with a verified PMID or DOI in this dataset.
Insufficient comparable evidence for quantitative synthesis.
Research timeline
How the evidence accumulated
2003
Alpha-lipoic acid cream and photoaged facial skin: a randomised controlled trial
Randomised controlled trialn = 33 · British Journal of Dermatology
2003
Alpha-lipoic acid cream and photoageing endpoints: a randomised controlled trial
Randomised controlled trialn = 33 · British Journal of Dermatology
Ingredient fingerprint
11 nodes · 15 relationships · seed "alpha-lipoic-acid"
The fingerprint is a deterministic visual signature: ridge amplitude comes from the number of entities in each tier, node placement from identifier hashes, and opacity from confidence. Two ingredients can never produce the same figure unless their networks are identical.
Open in Biology as Art →Research
2 curated studies
Alpha-lipoic acid cream and photoaged facial skin: a randomised controlled trial
Reported modest improvement in photoaging scores versus vehicle on half-face assessment.
Limitations — Small sample; identifier not verified; subjective grading.
Alpha-lipoic acid cream and photoageing endpoints: a randomised controlled trial
Reported modest improvement in photoageing severity scores versus vehicle over 12 weeks.
Limitations — Single trial, partly subjective endpoints; identifier not verified during curation.
Community evidence
Submitted by readers
Reader submissions appear here only after review. They are not part of the curated dataset and do not affect the Skinceptor Evidence Index.
No approved community submissions yet.
Sources
- PubChem 864Verified 2026-09-14
- Reactome R-HSA-71406Verified 2026-09-14
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