Alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) is an important antioxidant that is capable of regenerating other antioxidants, such as glutathione (GSH). In the present study, we examined the protective effects of α-LA against the oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by cadmium in human hepatoma cell lines (HepG2) and investigated if the process was mediated through regenerating GSH. Our results showed that after exposure to 25 μM cadmium for 16 h, there was a significant decrease in the cell viability and glutathione levels and a significant increase in lipid peroxidation (p<0.01) compared with untreated cells. The presence of α-LA significantly attenuated cadmium-induced cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation, and reversed cellular GSH levels compared with cadmium-treated cells (p<0.05). Compared with the cells treated with cadmium, co-treatment with α-LA and cadmium significantly increased the activities of γ-glutamylcysteine ligase (γ-GCL), the rate limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis and the mRNA and the protein levels of γ-GCL catalytic subunit (GCLC) and a modifier subunit (GCLM). In conclusion, our results indicated that α-LA is an effective agent to reduce the oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by cadmium by regenerating GSH levels through increasing the activities and the expressions of γ-GCL.