title: Carnitine administration reduces cytokine levels, improves food intake, and ameliorates body composition in tumor-bearing rats.
abstract: Increased cytokine expression contributes to the pathogenesis of cancer anorexia?cachexia syndrome. Carnitine may reduce inflammation in chronic diseases. We tested the effects of L-propionylcarnitine (PC group) or saline (C group) on food intake (FI), body composition, and inflammatory status of MCA-sarcoma-bearing rats. On tumor appearance, rats were randomly assigned to daily i.p. injection of L-propionylcarnitine (250 mg/kgBW/d; n = 8) or saline (equal volume; n = 8). FI and fat-free mass wasting improved in PC rats only (p < .01 vs. controls). Cytokines? levels decreased in PC rats vs. controls (p < .02). Results suggest that carnitine may ameliorate cancer anorexia?cachexia, via reduction of the inflammatory status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine , Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. alessandro.laviano@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laviano
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molfino
authors.forename: Marilia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seelaender
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frascaria
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertini
authors.forename: Cesarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramaccini
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bollea
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Citro
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi Fanelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000855:Anorexia / Q000188:drug therapy; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D002100:Cachexia / Q000188:drug therapy; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C003223:propionylcarnitine; D002331:Carnitine