title: Age-dependent decrease of carnitine content in muscle of mice and humans.
abstract: Carnitine deficiency associated with impairment of muscle function has been described in infants and young adults as a result of inherited or acquired disease but there are no reports on carnitine levels in healthy aging people. In this paper we show a marked reduction of carnitine and its derivatives in muscle, and of long-chain acyl carnitine in heart of 6-month-old mice, when compared to animals of 6 weeks of age. Analysis of muscle samples of healthy humans of different ages showed a drastic reduction of carnitine and acetyl carnitine in the older subjects with a strong reverse correlation between age and carnitine levels.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Citológicas, de la Caja de Ahorros de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costell
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grisolía
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000378:metabolism; D000215:Acylation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002332:Carnitine O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D024510:Muscle Development; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D002332:Carnitine O-Acetyltransferase; D002331:Carnitine