title: Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase activity in cardiac mitochondria from aged rats: the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine.
abstract: Age-related changes in mitochondrial fatty acids metabolism may underlie the progressive decline in cardiac function. The effect of aging and acute treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine on fatty acids oxidation and on carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase activity in rat heart mitochondria was studied. Rates of palmitoylcarnitine supported respiration as well as carnitine-carnitine and carnitine-palmitoylcarnitine exchange reactions were all depressed (approx. 35%) in heart mitochondria from aged rats. These effects were almost completely reversed following treatment of aged rats with acetyl-L-carnitine. Heart mitochondrial cardiolipin content was significantly reduced (approx. 38%) in aged rats. Treatment of aged rats with acetyl-L-carnitine restored the level of cardiolipin to that of young rats. It is suggested that acetyl-L-carnitine is able to reverse age-related decrement in mitochondrial carnitine-acylcarnitine exchange activity by restoring the normal cardiolipin content.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paradies
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petrosillo
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gadaleta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quagliariello
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002308:Cardiolipins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002333:Carnitine Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000201:enzymology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D002308:Cardiolipins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D002333:Carnitine Acyltransferases