title: Improvement of myocardial function in diabetic rats after treatment with L-carnitine.
abstract: The effects of L-carnitine administration on the severity of diabetes were investigated. Serum glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), triglycerides, and ketones from diabetic and normal rats injected for 2 weeks with 3 g/kg/d of either L-carnitine or saline were assayed. Hearts were analyzed for carnitine and long-chain acyl coenzyme A. L-carnitine treatment to diabetic rats significantly reduced serum glucose, FFA, triglycerides, and ketones. In nondiabetic rats, carnitine increased serum ketones while FFA and triglycerides were decreased. L-carnitine treatment to diabetic rats prevented a decrease in myocardial total carnitine content. Long-chain acyl carnitine increased while long-chain acyl coenzyme A decreased. In another experiment, L-carnitine administration (750 mg/kg/d for 14 days) significantly improved the recovery of cardiac output after 60, 90, and 120 minutes of ischemia in diabetic perfused hearts. These results suggest that L-carnitine therapy may reduce the severity of diabetes mellitus and improve myocardial performance.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002331:Carnitine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003065:Coenzyme A / Q000378:metabolism; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D007659:Ketones / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D007659:Ketones; D014280:Triglycerides; D002331:Carnitine; D003065:Coenzyme A