title: l-Carnitine improves cognitive and renal functions in a rat model of chronic kidney disease.
abstract: Over the past decade, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has reached epidemic proportions. The search for novel pharmacological treatment for CKD has become an area of intensive clinical research. l-Carnitine, considered as the "gatekeeper" responsible for admitting long chain fatty acids into cell mitochondria. l-Carnitine synthesis and turnover are regulated mainly by the kidney and its levels inversely correlate with serum creatinine of normal subjects and CKD patients. Previous studies showed that l-carnitine administration to elderly people is improving and preserving cognitive function. As yet, there are no clinical intervention studies that investigated the effect of l-carnitine administration on cognitive impairment evidenced in CKD patients. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effects of l-carnitine treatment on renal function and on the cognitive performance in a rat model of progressive CKD. To assess the role of l-carnitine on CKD condition, we estimated the renal function and cognitive abilities in a CKD rat model. We found that all CKD animals exhibited renal function deterioration, as indicated by elevated serum creatinine, BUN, and ample histopathological abnormalities. l-Carnitine treatment of CKD rats significantly reduced serum creatinine and BUN, attenuated renal hypertrophy and decreased renal tissue damage. In addition, in the two way shuttle avoidance learning, CKD animals showed cognitive impairment which recovered by the administration of l-carnitine. We conclude that in a rat model of CKD, l-carnitine administration significantly improved cognitive and renal functions.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Department of Physiology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, and Emek Medical Center, Israel; Dept. Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Nur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abu Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Dept. Nephrology, E.M.M.S. Hospital, Nazareth, Israel.
authors.forename: Zaher
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Armaly
authors.affiliation: Research &Development Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.affiliation: Dept. Nephrology, E.M.M.S. Hospital, Nazareth, Israel.
authors.forename: Adel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jabour
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Department of Physiology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, and Emek Medical Center, Israel.
authors.forename: Shlomit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aga-Mizrachi
authors.affiliation: Dept. Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mosenego-Ornan
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Department of Physiology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, and Emek Medical Center, Israel. Electronic address: Avital@technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avital
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D006818:Hyalin / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D045283:Natriuretic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D045283:Natriuretic Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D003404:Creatinine; D002331:Carnitine
keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Cognitive performance; Rat model; l-Carnitine