Acetyl-L-carnitine improves pain, nerve regeneration, and vibratory perception in patients with chronic diabetic neuropathy: an analysis of two randomized placebo-controlled trials.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated frozen databases from two 52-week randomized placebo-controlled clinical diabetic neuropathy trials testing two doses of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC): 500 and 1,000 mg/day t.i.d.


METHODS
Intention-to-treat patients amounted to 1,257 or 93% of enrolled patients. Efficacy end points were sural nerve morphometry, nerve conduction velocities, vibration perception thresholds, clinical symptom scores, and a visual analogue scale for most bothersome symptom, most notably pain. The two studies were evaluated separately and combined.


RESULTS
Data showed significant improvements in sural nerve fiber numbers and regenerating nerve fiber clusters. Nerve conduction velocities and amplitudes did not improve, whereas vibration perception improved in both studies. Pain as the most bothersome symptom showed significant improvement in one study and in the combined cohort taking 1,000 mg ALC.


CONCLUSIONS
These studies demonstrate that ALC treatment is efficacious in alleviating symptoms, particularly pain, and improves nerve fiber regeneration and vibration perception in patients with established diabetic neuropathy.
Sima
Anders A F
AA
Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. asima@med.wayne.edu
Calvani
Menotti
M
Mehra
Munish
M
Amato
Antonino
A
D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010465:Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010919:Placebos; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D014732:Vibration
D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010919:Placebos; D000108:Acetylcarnitine