Influence of Alpha-lipoic Acid on Salivary Oxidative Stress and Immune Indicators in Patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome and Pharmacodynamic Model Analysis

doi:10.13701/j.cnki.kqyxyj.2026.05.012

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effects of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) on salivary oxidative stress and immune indexes in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS), and to model and evaluate the therapeutic effect of ALA on BMS. Methods: A total of 104 BMS patients admitted to our hospital from October 2023 to July 2024 were selected and randomly divided into ALA group (n=52) and control group (n=52). Patients in the ALA group were treated with lipoic acid capsules, while patients in the control group were treated with conventional treatment. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, oxidative stress in saliva, and humoral immunity were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. A pharmacological model for the time course of ALA treatment of BMS using a nonlinear mixed effects model (NONMEM) was established. Results: After treatment, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin (IgA), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) in saliva of the two groups were significantly improved (P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the oxidative stress and humoral immunity indexes in saliva of the ALA group were better improved (P<0.001). After treatment, pain symptoms in both groups were significantly improved (P<0.001), and VAS scores in ALA group were lower than those in control group (P<0.001). The interaction effect of VAS score between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). It was found that VAS score before medication had significant influence on model parameter Emax. The final model parameters were Emax 5.83 minutes and ET50 2.47 weeks. The correction factor of baseline value for parameter Emax was 1.53, that is, for every 1 point increase of baseline VAS, the Emax value would increase by 1.53 points. Conclusion: ALA can effectively improve the salivary oxidative stress and immune indexes of BMS patients, and ALA can effectively reduce the pain symptoms of BMS patients, and its curative effect is better than conventional treatment.

Key words: alpha-lipoic acid, burning mouth syndrome, oxidative stress, humoral immunity, nonlinear mixed effects modeling

WANG Bo, XU Xiaofang, SHI Peipei, ZHANG Meihua. Influence of Alpha-lipoic Acid on Salivary Oxidative Stress and Immune Indicators in Patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome and Pharmacodynamic Model Analysis[J]. Journal of Oral Science Research, 2026, 42(5): 433-438.

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