title: Carnitine content in different muscles of patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic hemodialysis may lead to losses of carnitine from plasma and muscles. The aim of the present study was a comparison of carnitine contents in different human muscles (brachioradialis muscle and rectus muscle of abdomen) and evaluation of the correlation between plasma and tissue carnitine concentrations in patients receiving hemodialysis and healthy control patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The studies were performed in two groups of patients receiving hemodialysis. The first group included 37 patients (18 male, 19 female) (muscle specimen was taken from the brachioradialis muscle). The second group included 28 patients (15 male, 13 female) (muscle specimen was taken from the rectus muscle of abdomen). The other two separate groups of patients without renal involvement served as the controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly lower free plasma and free muscle carnitine (FMC) contents were noticed in patients receiving hemodialysis in comparison with the controls. Significantly higher total muscle carnitine (TMC) and FMC concentrations in the brachioradialis muscle in comparison with the rectus muscle of abdomen were observed in both the hemodialysis and control groups. Negative correlations between TMC, FMC, and FMC/TMC ratio versus duration of hemodialysis were found. No correlations between muscle and serum carnitine levels were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients receiving hemodialysis are carnitine deficient. Tissue carnitine depletion is related to hemodialysis duration. Carnitine concentration in blood does not represent the whole carnitine stores in patients receiving hemodialysis. Brachioradialis muscle carnitine contents are significantly higher than those in the rectus muscle of abdomen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland. adeb@amg.gda.pl <adeb@amg.gda.pl>
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Debska-Slizień
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawecka
authors.forename: Klaudiusz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wojnarowski
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zadrony
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kunicka
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Król
authors.forename: Wiesława
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lysiak-Szydłowska
authors.forename: Bolesław
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rutkowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002331:Carnitine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine