Effect of prolonged treatment with propionyl-L-carnitine on erucic acid-induced myocardial dysfunction in rats.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of propionyl-L-carnitine to prevent cardiac damage induced by erucic acid. Rats were fed for 10 days with normal or 10% erucic acid-enriched diets with or without propionyl-L-carnitine intraperitoneally injected, (1 mM/kg daily, for 10 days). The erucic acid diet produced increases in triglycerides (from 5.6 to 12.4 mg/gww, P less than 0.01), and free fatty acids (from 2.0 to 5.1 mg/gww, P less than 0.01), but no changes in phospholipids. When the hearts were perfused aerobically with an isovolumic preparation there was no difference in mechanical activity. On the contrary, when pressure-volume curves were determined, the pressure developed by hearts from the erucic acid-treated rats were reduced. Independent of diet, propionyl-L-carnitine treatment always produced positive inotropy. This was concomitant with improved mitochondrial respiration (RCI 5.1 vs 9.3, P less than 0.01), higher tissue ATP content (10.3 vs 18.4 mumol/gdw P less than 0.01) and reduction of triglycerides (12.4 vs 8.0 mg/gww, P less than 0.01). These data suggest that propionyl-L-carnitine, when given chronically, is able to prevent erucic acid-induced cardiotoxicity, probably by reducing triglyceride accumulation and improving energy metabolism.
Pasini
E
E
Cattedra di Cardiologia, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy.
Cargnoni
A
A
Condorelli
E
E
Marzo
A
A
Lisciani
R
R
Ferrari
R
R
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004883:Erucic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D004883:Erucic Acids; D010725:Phosphocreatine; C049811:erucic acid; C003223:propionylcarnitine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002331:Carnitine