title: Renal carnitine excretion following abstinence after chronic drinking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Carnitine participates in the metabolism of lipids and cognitive activity. Excessive consumption of alcohol disturbes renal tubular canalicules, that increases urinary excretion of carnitine and its esters. The study evaluates restoration of the urinary free- and total carnitine as well as acylcarnitine excretion after chronic drinking and during the 49-days of controlled abstinence.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 32 patients (6♀; 26♂), 26-60 years old, 2-30 years of alcohol dependence: 75-700g of pure alcohol (166±94g) of alcohol daily consumption, 2-360 (35±67) days of intoxication and 1.25±0.8 days of abstinence at admission, we determined urinary free (FC) and total carnitine (TC) as well as acylcarnitine (AC) and acylcarnitine/free carnitine ratio (AC/FC) at admission (T0), after 30 (T30) and 49 (T49) days of the controlled abstinence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At T0 excretion of FC, TC and AC as well as AC/FC ratio were significantly higher as compared to the control group. After 30- and 49-days of abstinence, excretion of FC and TC decreased to the level of control group with an exception of the AC and AC/FC ratio at T30 that remained significantly increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  30 days for the FC and TC and 49 days of abstinence for the AC and AC/FC ratio was sufficient to normalize urinary excretion of the carnitines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Radioimmunology and Experimental Medicine, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: a.kepka@czd.pl.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kępka
authors.affiliation: Medical Institute, College of Computer Science and Business Administration, Łomża, Poland.
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chojnowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Radioimmunology and Experimental Medicine, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Śnitko
authors.affiliation: Medical College of the Universal Education Society, Łomża, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zwierz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Napoleon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Waszkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000378:metabolism*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine
keywords: Abstinence; Alcohol; Carnitine; Fatty acids; Urinary excretion