title: Impaired fatty acid oxidation in children on valproic acid and the effect of L-carnitine.
abstract: Fatty acid oxidation was studied in 12 patients (aged 3 to 19 years) receiving valproic acid (VPA), predominantly as monotherapy, before and after 1 month of L-carnitine supplementation (50 mg/kg/day po) in order to determine whether L-carnitine plays a role in preventing the hepatotoxic effects of this drug. Five of these patients were also studied prior to VPA treatment. Only one patient taking VPA had an abnormally low plasma free carnitine. Acyl-/free carnitine ratios were elevated in five patients on VPA and normalized after L-carnitine supplementation. Mean plasma concentrations of free fatty acids, beta-OH-butyrate, and cumulative excretion of 13CO2 after administration of 1-13C-octanoic acid were not changed by VPA or L-carnitine treatment. Urinary dicarboxylic acids, acylglycines, and octanoylcarnitine were elevated during VPA therapy and unaltered by L-carnitine. These results suggest that, in patients at low risk for VPA-induced hepatotoxicity (patients aged > 2 years and taking VPA as monotherapy), VPA causes metabolic abnormalities resembling those found in inborn errors of mitochondrial beta-oxidation which are not corrected by L-carnitine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kossak
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Sommerfeld
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Schoeller
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rinaldo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Penn
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tonsgard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D014635:Valproic Acid; D002331:Carnitine