title: [Changes in myocardium, skeletal muscle and liver of rats fed carnitine-deficient diet and treated with carnitine optical isomers].
abstract: The aim of the present study was a comparative assessment of L-, D-and DL-carnitine effect on morphometric and histological parameters of myocardium, skeletal muscles (m. gastrocnemius) and liver in 60 rats fed carnitine-deficient diet. Carnitine-deficient diet fed 2 months resulted in a substantial reduction of carnitine concentration in blood plasma of rats. In carnitine-deficient animals, lipid vacuoles were found to accumulate within the hepatocytes in all the zones of hepatic lobules, which mainly had the character of micro- and macrovesicular steatosis. This was accompanied by a reduction of skeletal muscle fiber and cardiomyocyte average thickness. L-carnitine administration resulted in the compensation of carnitine deficiency in animals with alimentary carnitine deficient state, while the racemate and D-stereoisomere did not affect its content in blood. Pharmacological correction of carnitine deficiency with L-carnitine prevented the development of liver fatty dystrophy to a greater degree, than the administration of other carnitine stereoisomeres and promoted the restoration of muscular fiber thickness of skeletal muscles. DL-carnitine administration was accompanied by a moderate correction of fatty dystrophy and did not prevent the development of skeletal muscles atrophy. D-carnitine stereoisomere did not prevent liver fatty dystrophy, but it reduced its severity. Correction of carnitine deficiency with D- stereoisomere was not accompanied by essential morphological and morphometric differences in degree of skeletal muscle atrophy.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Spasov
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Iezhitsa
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Pisarev
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Snigur
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kravchenko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D002331:Carnitine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004032:Diet; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine