title: Changes of plasma fasting carnitine ester profile in patients with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the plasma carnitine ester profile in adult patients with ulcerative culitis (UC) and compared with healthy control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using ESI triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry, the carnitine ester profile was measured in 44 patients with UC and 44 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in the fasting free carnitine level between the patients with UC and the healthy controls. The fasting propionyl- (0.331 +/- 0.019 vs 0.392 +/- 0.017 micromol/L), butyryl- (0.219 +/- 0.014 vs 0.265 +/- 0.012), and isovalerylcarnitine (0.111 +/- 0.008 vs 0.134 +/- 0.008) levels were decreased in the UC patients. By contrast, the level of octanoyl-(0.147 +/- 0.009 vs 0.114 +/- 0.008), decanoyl- (0.180 +/- 0.012 vs 0.137 +/- 0.008), myristoyl- (0.048 +/- 0.003 vs 0.039 +/- 0.003), palmitoyl- (0.128 +/- 0.006 vs 0.109 +/- 0.004), palmitoleyl- (0.042 +/- 0.003 vs 0.031 +/- 0.002) and oleylcarnitine (0.183 +/- 0.007 vs 0.163 +/- 0.007; P < 0.05 in all comparisons) were increased in the patients with UC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest selective involvement of the carnitine esters in UC patients, probably due to their altered metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Genetics Research Group of Hungarian Academy Sciences at University of Pécs, Hunagry.
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bene
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komlósi
authors.forename: Viktória
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Havasi
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Talián
authors.forename: Beáta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gasztonyi
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horváth
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mózsik
authors.forename: Béla
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hunyady
authors.forename: Béla
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Melegh
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Figler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood*; D005215:Fasting; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; C003223:propionylcarnitine; C027333:3-methylbutyrylcarnitine; D002331:Carnitine