title: L-carnitine infusions may suppress serum C-reactive protein and improve nutritional status in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
abstract: Scattered reports indicate that L-carnitine may suppress proinflammatory cytokines in sick individuals without renal disease and may improve protein synthesis or nitrogen balance either in patients without renal disease or in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) or chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. We conducted an experimental study in MHD patients to evaluate the effects of L-carnitine treatment on inflammatory and protein-energy nutritional status. MHD patients were assigned to receive intravenous injections of L-carnitine 20 mg/kg (n = 48) or placebo (n = 65) thrice weekly at the end of each hemodialysis treatment for 6 months. The carnitine-treated group showed a statistically significant decrease in serum C-reactive protein and increase in serum albumin and transferrin, blood hemoglobin, and body mass index. Conversely, in the placebo-treated group, a significant decrease was reported for serum albumin, serum transferrin, and body mass index, whereas the other considered measures did not change significantly. These preliminary findings suggest that in MHD patients, L-carnitine therapy may suppress inflammation, particularly among those patients with C-reactive protein > or =3 mg/dL, and may improve protein-energy nutritional status.
authors.affiliation: University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Savica
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzaglia
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciolino
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monardo
authors.forename: Menotti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calvani
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellinghieri
authors.forename: Joel D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kopple
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010919:Placebos; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010919:Placebos; D012709:Serum Albumin; D014168:Transferrin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002331:Carnitine