title: Effect of inhibiting carnitine biosynthesis on male rat sexual performance.
abstract: l-carnitine has a documented role as a cofactor in cellular energy metabolism and fatty acid beta-oxidation pathways and it has also been considered to function in reproductive biology. We investigated whether decreasing concentrations of L-carnitine using an inhibitor of its biosynthesis, mildronate (3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium)-propionate), would influence the sexual behavior or sperm quality in male rats. Mildronate treatment induced a significant decrease in carnitine concentration and an increase in gamma-butyrobetaine (GBB) concentration in both plasma and testes extracts. However, the expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in testes and testosterone concentration in plasma was not changed in mildronate treated rat. Behavioral experiments demonstrated that mildronate treatment did not decrease the sexual motivation in both sexually naive and sexually experienced rats. The densities of spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis, as well as motility, were unchanged after mildronate treatment at a dose of 100 mg/kg. In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence that mildronate induces decrease in the free carnitine concentration in rat testes, but does not decrease the sexual activity or sperm quality of male rats.
authors.affiliation: Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles St. 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia. md@biomed.lu.lv
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dambrova
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cirule
authors.forename: Baiba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svalbe
authors.forename: Liga
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zvejniece
authors.forename: Osvalds
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pugovichs
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zorenko
authors.forename: Ivars
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalvinsh
authors.forename: Edgars
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Liepinsh
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Belozertseva
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001622:Betaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D002331:Carnitine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D053818:Chymases / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D008763:Methylhydrazines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D008763:Methylhydrazines; D001622:Betaine; D013739:Testosterone; C002889:gamma-butyrobetaine; C050147:3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazine)propionate; D053818:Chymases; C509231:Mcpt1 protein, rat; D002331:Carnitine