Objective: Aim of the present work was to study the antioxidant properties of lithium salts of Krebs cycle substrates and their influence on immune cells. Lithium is a well-known and widely used mood stabilizer. These lithium-based substances have a lot of potential properties because of the anionic component of the Krebs cycle substrates, which take part in basic intracellular biochemical process.
Materials and methods: Lithium salts of fumarate, pyruvate, malate, succinate, and citrate (as reference drug) were investigated in this study as antioxidants and immunomodulators. The antioxidant properties were studied by the voltammetry method, which evaluates oxygen radical scavenging capacity of lithium substances. Influence of the lithium compounds on the immune cells of human blood was indicated by the reaction of blast transformation of lymphocytes.
Results: All tested substances and their mixes possessed antioxidant properties, more expressed in maximal therapeutic concentration. Lithium compounds showed no toxic influence on human blood immune cells and caused no significant changes in both spontaneous and stimulated proliferation.
Conclusion: The results allow considering lithium salts of Krebs cycle substrates as potential normothymic agents (mood stabilizer) with antioxidant properties and low toxicity.
Keywords: Antioxidant; Krebs cycle; fumarate; lithium ions; malate; pyruvate; succinate.