title: The effect of chronic L-carnitine treatment on blood pressure and plasma lipids in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: The effect of chronic L-carnitine treatment on blood pressure and plasma lipids was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). L-Carnitine treatment for 6 weeks lowered significantly both the systolic and mean arterial pressure of SHR but its influence on diastolic and pulse pressure was only modest. L-Carnitine did not influence the relative heart and kidney weight of SHR. However, L-carnitine completely abolished the age-dependent rise of plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and uric acid seen in untreated SHR. On the other hand, L-carnitine treatment had no significant effects on blood pressure, relative organ weight and plasma lipids in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Our results suggest that L-carnitine might prevent some cardiovascular alterations by its influence on lipid metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska, Prague.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rauchová
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dobesová
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Drahota
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zicha
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kunes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D014527:Uric Acid; D002331:Carnitine