title: The therapeutic prospects of using L-carnitine to manage hypertension-related organ damage.
abstract: Subclinical organ damage is a very important aspect when assessing total cardiovascular risk in hypertensive subjects. Therapeutic strategies in those patients should consider treatment of hypertension-related cardiovascular and renal damage in addition to achieving the recommended blood pressure targets. l-carnitine (LC) is a naturally occurring compound that is administered exogenously for treatment of patients that are deficient in carnitine. The currently available data do not support a preferential role of LC as an antihypertensive agent compared to other available drugs. However, its ability to simultaneously modulate several targets and/or pathways provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These additional properties might justify the therapeutic use of LC as a protective agent against cardiovascular and renal remodelling in arterial hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología y Zoología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, CL Profesor García González 2, E-41012 Sevilla, Spain. mate@us.es
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mate
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Miguel-Carrasco
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vázquez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D002331:Carnitine