Overweight or obesity in post-menopausal women is known to induce metabolic disorders associated with neuroinflammation. α-lipoic acid (α‑LA), which has been clinically used to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy, has been found to exert anti‑inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, to investigate the effects of α‑LA on neuroinflammatory factors and the levels of hippocampal brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in ovariectomized rats fed a high‑fat diet (HFD), Wistar ovariectomized rats were fed HFD alone or HFD and treated with α‑LA for 12 weeks. Metabolic parameters in serum were detected, real‑time polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR), western blot analysis and ELISA were used to evaluate the levels of inflammatory factors and BDNF in the hippocampus. α‑LA markedly reduced body weight, the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‑C), as well as the levels of leptin and insulin resistance in ovariectomized rats fed HFD. It also significantly increased the levels of serum adiponectin and high‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‑C). In the hippocampal tissues of ovariectomized rats fed HFD, the protein and mRNA expression of BDNF was upregulated following the administration of α‑LA. Conversely, the levels of interleukin 6 (IL‑6) and tumour necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) were decreased following treatment with α‑LA. These findings demonstrate that α‑LA significantly increases the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus of obese ovariectomized rats fed HFD, possibly by improving lipid metabolism, enhancing insulin sensitivity and reversing central inflammation.

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