title: L-propionylcarnitine effects on cardiac carnitine content and function in secondary carnitine deficiency.
abstract: Long-term treatment with sodium pivalate, a compound conjugated to carnitine and excreted in the urine, results in carnitine deficiency and cardiac dysfunction. Since L-propionylcarnitine (LPC) is generally of benefit to cardiac function, it was of interest to determine whether it is effective in preventing the reductions in both heart carnitine content and function from occurring in carnitine deficiency. Secondary carnitine deficiency was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by supplementing the drinking water with 20 mM sodium pivalate for 26 weeks. Control animals received an equimolar concentration of sodium bicarbonate. At 13 weeks into treatment, a subgroup of control and sodium pivalate animals were given 80 mg/kg of LPC in their drinking water. Following treatment, isolated working hearts were perfused with buffer containing 11 mM glucose and 0.4 mM palmitate. Hearts from sodium pivalate treated animals demonstrated a severe reduction in tissue carnitine. When mechanical function was measured in these hearts, heart rate, rate-pressure product, and aortic flow were significantly depressed. Treatment with LPC, however, prevented the depletion in cardiac carnitine content and improved these cardiac parameters. Our results demonstrate that LPC treatment is beneficial in preventing the depression in cardiac function from occurring in this model of secondary carnitine deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Broderick
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DiDomenico
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Shug
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Paulson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D010421:Pentanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D010421:Pentanoic Acids; C003223:propionylcarnitine; C005566:pivalic acid; D002331:Carnitine