EP1439833A1

EP1439833A1 - Combination of liponic acid and glutamine in food and pharmaceutical products

Info

Publication number: EP1439833A1
Application number: EP02785243A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Klaus Krämer; Erich Roth
Original assignee: BASF SE
Current assignee: BASF SE
Priority date: 2001-10-19
Filing date: 2002-10-18
Publication date: 2004-07-28
Also published as: DE10151764A1; JP2005510498A; US20040265357A1; WO2003035056A1; IL161295A0; CA2463043A1

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of at least one liponic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative or salt thereof and at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable derivative or salt thereof, as a food adjunct, in functional foods and for therapeutic purposes, namely the treatment of particular disturbances caused by a glutathione deficiency. Means with an appropriate combination of active ingredients and means in the form of commercial packages, with appropriate combination preparations or single preparations for combined use are disclosed.

Description

Combination of lipoic acid and glutamine in food and pharmaceuticals.

5 Description

The present invention relates to the use of lipoic acid and glutamine for nutritional supplements, in functional foods and for therapeutic purposes, agents with a corresponding combination of active ingredients and agents in the form of commercial packs with corresponding combination preparations or monopreparations for combined use.

As a coenzyme in the oxidative decarboxylation of α-keto acids

15 Lipoic acid can be found in almost every cell in an organism. Antiphlogistic, analgesic and cytoprotective properties as well as their antioxidative effect make lipoic acid an interesting active ingredient for pharmacy, cosmetics, nutritional science and related areas (biothiols in health and di-

20 sease, editors Packer L. and Cadenas E., Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, Basel, Hong Kong; Biwenga GP, et al., Gen Pharmac 29: 3: 315-331; 1997; Packer L, et al. , Free Rad Biol Med 19: 2: 227-250; 1995). For example, various studies in diabetic patients in which the administration of Li

²⁵ ponic acid showed effects (e.g. Jacob et al., In Free Radiology Biology & Medicine, Vol. 27, Nos. 3/4 (1999) 309-314, and BioFactors 10 (1999) 169-174). Stoll et al. in Pharmaσology Biochemistry and Behavior, Vol. 46, pp. 799-805 (1993) and in Ann. NY Acad. Sci., Vol. 717, pp. 122-128 (1994) that lipoic acid does

30 Long-term memory of old mice or cognitive skills of rodents can improve. Han D. et al. in American Journal of Physics 273: R 1771-1778 (1997) postulate lipoic acid-mediated protection against the glutamate-induced depletion of intracellular glutathione and thus attempt a mechanistic one

35 To give an explanation for the neuroprotective effects of lipoic acid observed in ischemia models on rats. In experimentally induced cerebral ischemia, lipoic acid (iv, 25 mg / kg body weight) and also dihydrolipoic acid (50 and 100 mg / kg body weight) caused a reduction in the size of the infarct (Panigrahi M, et al., Brain Res

40 717: 184-188; 1996). Hagen T. M. et al. , in FASEB J. 13, 411-418 (1999) observed an improvement in the mitoσhondrial function after oral administration of (R) - -liponic acid in rats. A double subcutaneous injection of lipoic acid (25 mg / kg body weight) resulted in a significant reduction in one by buthionine

⁴⁵ sulfoximine-induced cataracts in an experimental rat model (Maitra I, et al., Free Rad Biol Med 18: 4: 823-829; 1995). Not just the R enantiomer or the racemic mixture should be effective, but also the S-enantiomer (Maitra I, et al., Bioσhem Biophys Res Comms 221: 422-429; 1996). In a diabetes model it was also shown that the lens damage caused by diabetes and changes in the redox status were partially prevented (Obrosova I, et al., Diabetologia 41: 1442-1450; 1998. About a reduction in oxidative stress in Diabetes patients with 600 mg lipoic acid administered daily for more than 3 months have been reported by Borσea V, et al (Free Rad Bio Med 22: 11/12: 1495-1500; 1999)

10 it was shown that an intake of lipoic acid prevented the symptoms of vitamin E deficiency symptoms (muscular dystrophy, weight loss) when mice 6-8 weeks old received 1.65 g lipoic acid / kg body weight in addition to a vitamin E deficiency diet (Podda M , et al., Bioσhem Biophys Res Comms 204: 98-104;

15 1994).

In Germany, preparations containing lipoic acid are currently listed for the treatment of discomfort in diabetic polyneurapathy. Formulations of solid salts of lipoic acid are used in the

20 US-A-5,990,152. US-A-5,994,393 relates to a further modification of lipoic acid. Useful lipoic acid analogs are proposed in WO 99/45922. Combinations of lipoic acid and vitamins for the production of medicaments are described in EP 0 572 922 AI.

25

Glutamine is the quantitatively most important free amino acid of the human body (see Roth E, et al., Wien Klin Wochensσhr 108: 669-676). While glutamine is absolutely essential for the growth of cells in cell culture, this essential is in

30 human body, since glutamine is synthesized from other, also essential amino acids. The skeletal muscle is the most important organ that synthesizes glutamine. Glutamine is not only found in the state of hunger or in the state of clinical protein catabolism, but also in the postprandial diet.

35 was released from the skeletal muscle. The organs that absorb glutamine are primarily the intestine, the immune cells, the kidney (for buffering the acidic valences) and, depending on the physiological status, the liver. Glutamine appears primarily for rapidly proliferating cells, such as mucosa cells and immune cells,

^{40 to be} important. It has recently been pointed out that glutamine is not only important as a nitrogen donor and protein component, but can also have a cell-regulating potency similar to a hormone or a cytokine. This is how glutamine stimulates the expression of surface antigens on monocytes

45 and lymphocytes, influences the formation of cytokines, the synthesis of stress proteins (heat shock proteins) and the glutathione level (Hong RW, et al., Ann Surg 213: 114-119; 1992; Yu JC, et al., Clin Nutr 15: 261-265; 1996; Denno R, et al., J Surg Res 61: 35-38; 1996). In addition, glutamine can affect the cell cycle arrest from G0 to Gl and reduce the apoptosis ability of carcinoma cells. Further studies have shown that oral glutamine administration in mice resulted in an increased lymphocyte count in the Peyer's patches (Manhart N, et al., Clin Nutr 19: 197-201; 2000).

It has now been found that certain combined applications of lipoic acids and glutamines open up a surprisingly effective treatment option for a large number of disorders which are associated with glutathione deficiency and the associated metabolic deficiency symptoms and thus represent an ideal nutritional supplement, and foods have a positive influence give health and have a high therapeutic value.

The present invention therefore relates to the use of at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof and at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, for food supplements, in functional foods and for therapeutic purposes.

The use according to the invention represents a combination application, ie the use of at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof - hereinafter also referred to as "lipoic acid component" for simplification - and the use of at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof - in hereinafter also referred to as glutamine component for the sake of simplicity - takes place in a context appropriate to the purpose, in particular with a view to optimal effectiveness. In principle, the lipoic acid component and the glutamine component can in principle be administered together in one formulation or separately in at least two different formulations. The administration of separate formulations includes both the simultaneous administration, that is to say administration at essentially the same times or immediately following one another, as well as the administration at intervals, that is to say at different times. A special embodiment of the time-spaced administration is realized by the alternate administration of the components, for example with an early / late daily rhythm. Simultaneous application is preferred. Thus, the present invention relates both to the use of at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof and the use of at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, for use supported by glutamine or lipoic acid. In this sense, the invention relates to compositions based on a combination i) of at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof; and ii) based on at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, and, where appropriate, further active ingredients, it being possible for the active ingredient components, in particular components i) and ii), to be formulated jointly or separately.

According to the invention, the term “lipoic acid” denotes 5- (1,2-di-thiolan-3-yl) valeric acid, also called thioctic acid, thioctanoic acid or thioctic acid, of the formula I.

the optical isomers covered by this formula are included both as mixtures, for example racemates, and in pure form, for example R or S enantiomers. The preferred isomer is the (R) -5- (1,2-dithiolan-3-yl) valeric acid of the formula II

Lipoic acid mixtures with an (R) -enantiomeric excess (ee) of at least 40% are preferred. The (R) enantiomeric excess is preferably at least 80%, in particular at least 98%.

The enantiomeric excess (ee) results from the following formula: ee [%] = (RS) / (R + S) x 100. R and S are the descriptors of the ClP system for the two enantiomers and give the absolute configuration at the asymmetric C (5) atom again. The enantiomerically pure compound (ee = 100%) is also referred to as the homochiral compound.

Lipoic acid derivatives include, in particular, synthetic precursors and metabolites of lipoic acid, in particular dihydrolipoic acid. Lipoamide, lipoyl lysine, di-6, 8-bis-noriponic acid and tetranorliponic acid can be mentioned as further metabolites. Other suitable lipoic acid derivatives are, for example, the esters, thioesters described in WO 99/45922 as lipoic acid analogs of the formula (I) and amides of lipoic acid with amino alcohols, aminothiols or diamines, which are part of the present application by reference. According to the statements on lipoic acid, the respective optical isomers of the derivatives also belong to it.

In the present case, the physiologically acceptable salts of lipoic acids or lipoic acid derivatives are preferably base addition salts.

The base addition salts include salts with inorganic bases, for example metal hydroxides or carbonates of alkali, alkaline earth or transition metals, or with organic bases, for example ammonia or basic amino acids such as arginine and lysine, amines, e.g. Methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, triethylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, ethylenediamine, ethanolamine, diethanolamine, l-amino-2-propanol, 3-amino-l-propanol or hexamethylenetetraamine, saturated cyclic amines with 4 to 6 ring carbon atoms, such as Piperidine, piperazine, pyrrolidine and morpholine, as well as other organic bases, for example N-methylglucamine, creatine, trometamol and tromethamine, and quaternary ammonium compounds, such as tetramethylammonium and the like.

Salts with inorganic bases, e.g. Na, K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cr and Fe salts, and for the area of enteral processing the trometamol salt.

According to the invention, the term “glutamine” denotes 2-aminopentanoic acid 5-amide of the formula III

the optical isomers covered by this formula both as mixtures, e.g. Racemate, as well as in pure form, e.g. R or S enantiomers included. The preferred isomer is the (S) -2-aminopentanoic acid 5-amide, also referred to as L-glutamine, of the formula IV

HOOC ^. CH2. C0NH ₂

CH ^ CHz ^ " ^IV

V

NH ₂ Glutamine mixtures with an (S) enantiomeric excess (ee) of at least 60% are preferred. The (S) -antiomeric excess is preferably at least 90.0%, in particular at least 99.9%.

Glutamine derivatives include, in particular, synthetic precursors and metabolites of glutamine, that is to say, in particular dipeptides, in particular L-alanyl-L-glutamine and L-Gycyl-L-glutamine. According to the explanations on glutamine, the respective optical isomers of the derivatives also belong to it.

In the present case, the physiologically acceptable salts of glutamines or glutamine derivatives include both base and acid addition salts.

The base addition salts include salts of glutamines or glutamine derivatives with the bases mentioned above in connection with lipoic acid and lipoic acid derivatives.

The acid addition salts include salts of glutamines or glutamine derivatives with inorganic acids, such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid or phosphoric acid, or organic acids, especially carboxylic acids, e.g. Acetic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid, mandelic acid, ascorbic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid or sulfonic acids, e.g. Methanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid and toluenesulfonic acid, and the like.

In addition to the lipoic acid and glutamine components, the use according to the invention can also include other active ingredients. These active ingredients can be, in particular, those whose action is similar to, or supplements, the lipoic or glutamine-mediated action. It may be advantageous to administer antioxidants, polycosanols, S-adenosylmethionine, choline, flavonoids, lignans, isoflavones in addition to the combination according to the invention. Vitamins, cofactors, trace elements, in particular Cr, Se, Mn, Zn, minerals, amino acids and other essential nutrients can also be useful. For practical reasons, fatty acids are also often included, possibly in the form of glycerides. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially τu-3- and τπ-6-PUFA, eg arachidonic acid and especially doσosahexaenoic acid and / or eicosapentaenoic acid; Phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine; Antioxidants, especially vitamin E, in particular as toσopherol, tocopherol acetate or tocopheryl acid succinate, and vitamin C, in particular as ascorbic acid, Na, Ca or K ascorbate, or asσorbyl-6-palmitate, flavo- noide, isoflavones, lignans, tocotrienols, etc. are preferably administered together with the lipoic acid and glutamine components.

A particular embodiment of the present invention is based on the combination of lipoic acid with an R-enantiomer excess, in particular as a trometamol salt, and glutamine with an S-enantiomer excess, in particular in the form of a dipeptide.

The invention includes the treatment of individuals in the context of therapeutic applications, a dietary supplement, a dietary nutrition strategy or in the area of enriched foods (functional foods).

As part of the nutritional supplement, the supply of active substance combination according to the invention guaranteed with normal nutrition is supplemented. In this sense, the active ingredient combination according to the invention is also to be regarded as a nutrient combination. The purpose of this nutritional supplement can be to compensate for corresponding nutritional deficiencies or to ensure that these active ingredients are supplied in excess of the amount guaranteed with normal nutrition. In particular, the active ingredient combination according to the invention can also be used in the context of nutritional therapy, e.g. with parenteral or enteral nutrition. Thus, the use according to the invention for food supplementation also serves nutritional purposes, in particular the treatment of corresponding deficiency symptoms or the change in certain states of an individual, which can be compensated for or brought about by a nutritional supplementation of the active substance combination according to the invention. The failure phenomena and changeable states include the disorders or effects which can be treated according to the invention and which can be treated in accordance with the following. In this sense, one aspect is to prevent glutathione deficiency or to make up for an existing deficiency.

The use according to the invention for therapeutic purposes relates in particular to the treatment of disorders which are associated with a glutathione deficiency. Accordingly, one aspect of the use according to the invention is directed towards the stabilization of the cellulose change. Stabilization of the cellulose change is understood according to the invention to mean a time delay or an at least partial reversion of a change in one or more metabolism parameters causing metabolic disorders. A special aspect concerns the cellular glutathione substance change. From this point of view, the metabolic parameters in particular are intracellular concentrations of reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) or the ratio of GSH to GSSG.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the stabilization of the cellular glutathione substance change relates to an increase in the intracellular concentration of GSH and / or GSSG, advantageously above all GSH, and in particular an increase in the GSH / GSSG concentration ratio. In this context, the ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) is advantageously at least about 500.

Particular embodiments of the use according to the invention relate primarily to the glutathione metabolism in hepatocytes or spleen and advantageously intestinal cells, in particular small intestine cells, here in particular cells of the GALT (well-associated lymphoid tissue), which in particular include cells from Peyer's see plaques. The active substance combination according to the invention is thus useful for treating a depletion of intracellular glutathione, in particular in the case of ischemia reperfusion (reperfusion syndrome); myocardial infarction; respiratory failure; Cancer; Diabetes, eg in type 2 diabetes to increase insulin sensitivity (De Mattia G, et al., Metabolism 47: 993-997; 1998); Liver diseases (depletion of hepatic glutathione), for example damage to the hepatocytes and endothelial cells by chemotherapy, in particular after bone marrow transplantation (Brown SA, et al., Bone Marrow Transplantation 22: 281-284; 1998); Alzheimer; inflammatory bowel diseases (Sido B, et al., Gut 42: 485-492; 1998; Miralles-Barraσhina 0, et al., Clin Nutrition 18: 313-317; 1999); in clinical protein catabolism, eg after operations, trauma, burns, in sepsis and / or in intensive care patients; to potentiate the vasodilator effect of NO (Kugiyama K, et al., Circulation 97: 2299-2301; 1998); anemia caused by uremia after hemodialysis (Usberti M, et al., Journal of Nephrology 10: 261-265; 1997); for cystic fibrosis, in particular for the reduced release of toxic oxidizing compounds (Roum JH, et al, Journal of Applied Physiology 87: 438-443; 1999); in HIV-infected patients (Staal FJT, et al., Aids Research and Human Retroviruses 12: 1373-1381; 1996), in particular to reduce the HIV virus in various tissues (Palamara AT, et al., Aids Research and Human Retroviruses 12: 1373-1381, 1996). Another particular aspect relates to the use of the active ingredient combination according to the invention for modulating the spleen and advantageously the intestinal immunology. This includes, above all, an increase in the number of lymphocytes in the GALT (well-associated lymphoid tissue), e.g. B. the lamina propria, the intestinal epithelium, the mesenterial lymph nodes and in particular the Peyer 'see plaques. The associated effects according to the invention include an increase in lymphocyte proliferation; differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing cells; immunoglobulin production, T cell activation; the monocyte and macrophage function.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to the treatment of one of the following diseases: sepsis; ARDS; Crohn's disease; colitis; Short bowel syndrome; Intestinal transplantation; diarrhea; enteritis; Infectious diseases; pancreatitis; Cirrhosis; AIDS.

The treatment according to the invention becomes more important in adults with increasing age. In the group of over

The treatment brings special advantages to 40-year-olds and especially those over 50 years of age. This also applies to burn-out syndrome and increased physical performance, e.g. in athletes.

Disorders or diseases to be treated according to the invention are generally characterized by progressive development, i.e. the states described above change over the course of time, the degree of severity generally increases and, if necessary, states can merge or further states can join existing states. Preventive treatment is a particularly valuable aspect of the treatment according to the invention.

The treatment according to the invention can be used to treat a large number of signs, symptoms and / or malfunctions which are related to the disorders and conditions mentioned above. These include, for example, infections, flu infections, convalescence, poor general condition, increased physical performance, stress.

One aspect of a treatment in the sense of the invention relates to the treatment of acute or chronic disorders, conditions, indications, symptoms and / or malfunctions; A purpose of this treatment is to remedy the disorders, regulate the conditions, or alleviate the symptoms, symptoms and / or malfunctions. Another aspect relates to preventive treatment (prophylaxis), in particular in reference to the aforementioned Disorders of oxidative cause; one purpose of this treatment is to avoid the occurrence of the disorders, conditions, signs, symptoms and / or malfunctions, including a delay in the occurrence. Treatment can be symptomatic, for example as symptom suppression. It can be short-term, medium-term, or it can also be long-term treatment, for example in the context of maintenance therapy. The treatment can also be carried out in cures, for example in the form of continuous treatments lasting several days or several weeks, which alternate with taking breaks.

The use of the active ingredients described according to the invention includes a process as part of the treatment. The individual to be treated, preferably a mammal, in particular a human, and also a useful or domestic animal, is given an effective amount of lipoic acid component and an effective amount of glutamine component, generally in accordance with pharmaceutical, veterinary or food-related practice formulated, administered. Whether such treatment is indicated and in what form it has to be done depends on the individual case and can be subject to both a professional medical (usually third-party diagnosis) and a non-professional assessment (usually self-diagnosis), the existing signs, symptoms and / or develop malfunctions, risks, certain signs, symptoms and / or malfunctions, and other factors.

The treatment is usually given by administration once, several times or continuously, daily, optionally together or alternating with other active substances or preparations containing the active substance. It is important according to the invention that more glutamine than lipoic acid is administered to the individual to be treated. In general, a molar ratio of glutamine to lipoic acid of at least about 3, preferably at least about 6, in particular at least about 10 and particularly advantageously at least about 25 is used. For example, an individual to be treated with a body weight of about 70 kg is given a daily dose of about 1 mg to 5 g, preferably of about 10 mg to 1 g of lipoic acid; and from about 1 g to 200 g, preferably from about 5 g to 100 g of glutamine when given orally, or preferably from about 5 mg to 1 g of lipoic acid, and from about 5 g to 100 g of glutamine when given parenterally. Active ingredient quantities and proportions relate to the active ingredient, ie lipoic acid and glutamine, so that a corresponding conversion has to be carried out for salts and derivatives.

The invention also relates to the production of agents for treating an individual, preferably a mammal, in particular a human being, and also a useful or domestic animal.

The present invention therefore also relates to compositions comprising i) at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof; ii) at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof; and and optionally at least one further active ingredient and a formulation base.

Agents according to the invention are therefore based on a combination of active ingredients and, if appropriate, a formulation basis.

The means include in particular pharmaceutical means, food supplements and foods, in particular functional or dietetic foods. In addition to a predominantly nutritional function, the foods according to the invention additionally have an active ingredient-related function, which relates in particular to the active ingredient combination according to the invention. They are therefore referred to as functional or dietetic foods. Dietary supplements are used to supplement the daily diet with the active ingredient combination according to the invention, the nutritional function of the dietary supplement taking on a separate role.

The active ingredient combination in the sense of the invention comprises as active ingredient component i) at least one lipoic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative or salt thereof. Mixtures of these forms are possible, but should only be considered in certain cases. According to a particular embodiment, the active ingredient component i) consists of lipoic acid, preferably at least 90% by weight and in particular at least 99% by weight of the (R) -enantiomer, the percentages by weight being based on the total weight of the active ingredient component i) ,

Furthermore, the active ingredient combination in the sense of the invention comprises as active ingredient component ii) at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable derivative or salt thereof. Those are preferred Active ingredients listed above as special glutamines, especially the dipeptides.

Furthermore, the active substance combination in the sense of the invention can comprise further active substances as active substance component iii), for example the active substances mentioned above in this connection.

The proportion of the active ingredient combination in the formulation is greater than a proportion which may be present in natural sources, in particular foods. In this sense, the agents according to the invention are enriched with regard to the combination of active ingredients, in particular in comparison to foods. The proportion of the active ingredient combination from i) and ii) in the formulation is preferably greater than approximately 0.5% by weight, advantageously greater than approximately 1% by weight and in particular greater than approximately 2% by weight. In particular, the proportion of i) is more than 0.01% by weight, preferably more than 0.05% by weight and in particular more than 1% by weight; the proportion of ii) more than 1% by weight, preferably more than 5% by weight and in particular more than 10% by weight. In the case of a pharmaceutical agent, the proportion from i) and ii) is generally about 1 to 60% by weight, preferably about 5 to 35% by weight and in particular about 10 to 30% by weight, in In the case of a food supplement and especially in the case of food, it may be correspondingly lower if the formulation is administered in larger amounts.

Unless stated otherwise, data in% by weight relate to the total weight of the formulation.

The formulation basis of formulations according to the invention contains physiologically acceptable auxiliaries. Physiologically acceptable are the auxiliary substances known to be used in the field of pharmacy, food technology and related fields, in particular those listed in relevant pharmacopoeias (e.g. DAB, Ph. Eur., BP, NF), and also other auxiliary substances whose properties do not conflict with physiological application , Auxiliaries in the sense of the invention can also have a nutritional value and are therefore generally used as a food component. Nutrients, especially essential nutrients, can also be included.

Suitable auxiliaries can be: wetting agents; emulsifying and suspending agents; preservatives; antioxidants; Antioxidants; chelating agents; coating aids; Emulsion stabilizers; film formers; gelling agents; Odor masking agents; Taste corrections; resins; Hydrocolloids; Solvents; Solubilizing agents; Neutralizing agents; permeation; pigments; quaternary ammonium compounds; Refatting and overfatting agents; Ointment, cream or oil base materials; Silicone derivatives; spreading aids; stabilizers; Sterilanzien; Fundamentals of the suppository; Tablet auxiliaries, such as binders, fillers, lubricants, disintegrants or coatings; Propellant; Desiccant; Opacifiers; Thickener; waxes; plasticizers; White oils. A design in this regard is based on professional knowledge, as is shown, for example, in Fiedler, HP, Lexicon of auxiliaries for pharmacy, cosmetics and related areas, 4th edition, Aulendorf: ECV-Editio-Kantor-Verlag, 1996.

Food components usually contain one or more amino acids, carbohydrates or fats and are suitable for human and / or animal nutrition. They include individual components, often vegetable but also animal products, in particular sugar, if appropriate in the form of syrups, fruit preparations, such as fruit juices, nectar, fruit pulps, purees or dried fruits, for example apple juice, grapefruit juice, orange juice, applesauce, tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato puree; Cereal products, such as wheat flour, rye flour, oatmeal, corn flour, barley flour, spelled flour, corn syrup, and starches of the cereals mentioned; Dairy products such as milk protein, whey, yogurt, lecithin and milk sugar.

The essential nutrients include in particular vitamins, provitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids and fatty acids. The essential amino acids are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and vallin. These also include semi-essential amino acids, which have to be added, for example, in growth phases or deficiency states, such as arginine, histidine, cysteine and tyrosine. The following are mentioned as trace elements: essential trace elements and minerals, the necessity of which has been proven for humans and the lack of which leads to the manifestation of clinical symptoms: iron, copper, zinc, chromium, selenium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, Iodine, silicon, fluorine, chlorine, phosphorus. Likewise, elements whose function is not yet sufficiently assured for humans: tin, nickel, vanadium, arsenic, lithium, lead, boron. The following are mentioned as essential fatty acids for humans: linoleic acid and linolenic acid, ERA (arasidonic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) for infants and possibly EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA for adults. A comprehensive list of vitamins can be found in "Reference values for nutrient intake", 1st edition, Umschau Braus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2000, published by the German Society for Nutrition nutrition.

The sum of the active ingredient component and the formulation base is generally 100% by weight.

Examples of suitable formulations for food supplements are capsules, tablets, pills, powder bags, liquid ampoules and vials with drip inserts, and the remainder of the medicinal forms mentioned below.

Examples of suitable pharmaceutical formulations are solid pharmaceutical forms, such as powders, powders, granules, tablets, in particular film-coated tablets, pastilles, saσhets, caσhets, dragees, capsules such as hard and white gelatin capsules, suppositories or vaginal pharmaceutical forms, semi-solid pharmaceutical forms such as ointments, creams, hydro- gels, pastes or plasters, and liquid pharmaceutical forms, which are used in the present case in particular for parenteral or enteral nutrition, such as solutions, emulsions, in particular oil-in-water emulsions, suspensions, injection and infusion preparations. Also implanted delivery devices can be used for the administration of active substances according to the invention. Liposomes or microspheres can also be used.

Food-technical formulations generally have the usual form and are preferred in the form of toddler food, breakfast preparations, especially in the form of muesli or bars, sports drinks, complete meals, in particular as part of totally balanced diets, dietary preparations such as diet drinks, diet meals and diet bars, offered.

The formulations are generally administered by enteral or parenteral and preferably by the oral route. A special form of enteral administration concerns application via a probe (probe food). Parenteral administration relates in particular to central or peripheral venous administration.

In the preparation of the compositions, the active compounds are usually mixed or diluted with a suitable excipient, in some cases also known as an excipient. Excipients can be solid, semi-solid or liquid materials that serve as vehicles, carriers or media for the active ingredient. If necessary, other auxiliary substances are added in a manner known per se. Shaping steps, possibly in connection with mis-processes, can be carried out. be performed, for example granulation, compression and the like.

In particular, the active ingredient components can be formulated together. However, they can also be processed separately first and then in a compartmented, e.g. multilayer drug form can be merged. In this way, possible drug incompatibilities and different drug properties such as bioavailability, stability, solubility and the like can be taken into account. Gastric resistant formulations are suitable for enteral and especially oral administration.

The present invention furthermore relates to compositions in the form of a commercial pack containing at least one composition based on i) at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, and / or ii) at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, and optionally with Instructions for the combined use of lipoic acids, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, and glutamines, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof.

One embodiment of this subject matter according to the invention relates to trade deals with at least one, in particular pharmaceutical, agent of the type described above with an active ingredient combination according to the invention. This embodiment also includes commercial packs with several combination preparations in different dosages or formulations. Commercial packages of this embodiment accordingly contain the active ingredient components i) and ii) in common formulation.

Another embodiment relates to commercial deals with two or more, spatially separate, in particular pharmaceutical, agents, at least two of which comprise different active ingredients. These agents can in particular be monopreparations, in particular those with active ingredient components i) or ii). In these cases, the commercial pack contains instructions within the meaning of the invention for the combined use of the means comprising i) or ii). Commercial packs of this embodiment accordingly contain the active ingredient components i) and / or ii) in separate formulations, ie in the form of generally two agents which are spatially separated from one another. A further embodiment relates to commercial packs with at least one, in particular pharmaceutical, agent based on i) at least one lipoic acid, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof, or ii) at least one glutamine, physiologically acceptable derivatives or salts thereof.

These are mono-preparations. In these cases, the commercial package contains instructions in the sense of the invention for the dual use of the composition in combination with the other active ingredients forming the active ingredient combination according to the invention, which are not part of the commercial package, in the form of at least one further composition. Commercial packs of this embodiment accordingly contain part of the active ingredient combination according to the invention. The part not included is included as part of the enclosed instructions.

It goes without saying that commercial packs according to the invention can also contain further preparations, in particular formulations containing active ingredients, as well as comprehensive instructions which also go beyond the content mentioned above.

The present invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following examples, without being restricted thereto.

In the drawings shows

For a number of test runs to which L-glutamine (GLN), R-lipoic acid (LA) or combinations thereof had been added:

1 shows the absolute (la) or (lb) concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) human Jurkat T-cells plotted in the form of a bar graph (lb) or based on the initial concentration before the addition of glutamine (gin) and / or lipoic acid (LA) ;

2 shows the absolute (2a) or (2b) concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) human U937 cells plotted in the form of a bar graph (2b) or based on the starting concentration before the addition of glutamine (gin) and / or lipoic acid. example 1

Pharmaceutical agents a) White gelatin capsule with lipoic acid and glutamine (lipoic acid 50 mg + glutamine 1 g) lipoic acid 50 mg

Glutamine 1 g

D / L-alpha-toσopherol 60 mg

Example 2 Functional Food a) Bars with Lipoic Acid and Glutamine (400 mg Lipoic Acid + Glutamine 4 g / Bar (60 g))

Lipoic acid 400 mg

Glutamine 4 g D / L-alpha-toσopherol 150 mg

Fruσtose syrup 4.2 g

Glucose 12 g

Browned sugar 3 g

Glyσerin 3 g Leσithin 125 mg

Hardened vegetable oil 1.2 g

Roasted oatmeal 17.975 g

Puffed rice 7 g

Roasted and chopped almonds 5.6 g coconut flakes 4 g

Example 3: Parenteral nutrition

3.1. TPN plus glutamine and lipoic acid:

Composition like Glamin (Fresenius-Kabi) plus 400 mg lipoic acid

3.2. Parenteral supplement: glutamine and lipoic acid composition such as dipeptamine (Fresenius-Kabi) plus 400 mg lipoic acid

Example 4: Enteral nutrition:

4.1. Total enteral nutrition plus glutamine and lipoic acid

Content per 100 ml:

Nitrogen source (protein + oligoproteins + glutamine dipeptides) 6 g

fat source

(vegetable oils, medium triglycerides, fish oil: ω-3: ω-6 1: 3.5) 2.5 g

Carbohydrates (maltodextrins, polysccharides, Saσσarose) 12 g

roughage

(soluble + insoluble) 1.5 g Lipoic acid 400 mg vitamin C 1000 mg vitamin E 200 mg selenium 20 μg 5 minerals

(Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate, magnesium) according to RDA trace element

(Iron copper, manganese, iodide, 0 fluoride, molybdenum) according to RDA further vitamins according to RDA

4.2. Supplemental Enteral: Glutamine and Lipomnssäuuurree

Glutamine (Alanylglutamine, Glyσylglutamine) 25 ^■ g 5 Vitamin E 200 mg

Lipoic acid 400 mg

Vitamin C 1000 mg

Vitamin E 200 mg

Selenium 200 µg 0

Example 5 Biological Effect

5 Increase intracellular glutathione levels

For the trials, human Jurkat T cells and U937 cells, a human myelomonocytic cell line, were used. Jurkat and U937 cells were enriched in RPMI 1640 medium (Bio Whittaker, Belgium) - 0 with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (FCS; Linaris, Germany), 1% peniillin / streptomycin (Life Technologies, Scotland) and 2mM L-glutamine (Sigma, MO) - cultivated under standard conditions (95% humidity, 5% C0 ₂ and 37 ° C). 5

After harvesting, the cells were washed twice with PBS, resuspended in standard medium (RPMI 1640 with 10% FCS, 1% streptomycin / penicilin, without L-glutamine) in a concentration of 2x105 cells / ml and transferred to 25σm ³ culture bottles. The treatment of the 0 cells was carried out with or without the addition of 2 mM glutamine and in each case with or without 100 μM lipoic acid over a period of 4, 8, 24 or 48 hours.

_j - After the end of the respective treatment time, the cells were harvested and washed twice with PBS. 2 × 10 ⁶ cells were resuspended in sulfosalicylic acid (6.5% in aqua dest; Merck, Germany) and incubated on ice for 15 min. The supernatant after pelleting the cells (5,000 g, 10 min) was removed and stored at -20 ° C. by HPLC until the glutathione was determined.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the addition of 0.05 mM glutamine to the culture medium does not cause a significant change in the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH). This also applies to the simultaneous addition of 100 μM lipoic acid. Are, however, 2 mM glutamine zugestzt the culture medium, thus increasing - * ⁰ is not only the concentrations significantly 'reduced glutathione, but also the simultaneous addition of lipoic acid in the previously noσh inactive concentration of 100 uM causes a dramatic increase in GSH Konzentratuionen.

15

These results demonstrate that the combined administration of glutamine and lipoic acid can achieve synergistic effects on the glutathione metabolism of the cell types used here.

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25

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Claims

claims

1. Use of a combination of active ingredients

i) at least one lipoic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof; and ii) at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof,

for nutritional supplements.

2. Use of a combination of active ingredients

for the preparation of an agent for stabilizing the cellular glutathione metabolism of spleen, liver and / or intestinal cells.

3. Use according to claim 2, for increasing intracellular GSH concentrations.

4. Use of a combination of active ingredients

for the manufacture of an agent for enteral or parenteral treatment of disorders associated with glutathione deficiency.

5. Use according to Anspruσh 4, wherein the glutathione deficiency concerns intestinal cells.

6. Use of a combination of active ingredients

i) at least one lipoic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof; and ii) at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof, for the preparation of an agent for treating sepsis; ARDS; Crohn's disease; colitis; Short bowel syndrome; Intestinal transplantation; diarrhea; enteritis; Infectious diseases; Pancreatitis; Cirrhosis; or AIDS.

7. Use of a combination of active ingredients

for the preparation of an agent for strengthening the immune system.

8. Use according to claim 7, for strengthening the intestinal immune system.

9. Means containing

i) at least one lipoic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof; and ii) at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable one

Derivative and / or salt thereof; and optionally at least one further active ingredient and a formulation base, the active ingredient content being greater than 0.01% by weight of lipoic acid and 1% by weight of glutamine.

10. Means in the form of a retail pack with at least one agent based

i) at least one lipoic acid, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof; and / or ii) at least one glutamine, a physiologically acceptable derivative and / or salt thereof;

and optionally with instructions for the combined use of lipoic acids, physiologically acceptable derivatives and / or salts thereof, and glutamines, physiologically acceptable derivatives and / or salts thereof, the active ingredient content being greater than 0.01% by weight of lipoic acid and / or 1% by weight .-% is glutamine.