| Description | (±)-Carnitine chloride (Monocamin) is a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine. |
| In vitro | The main effect of L-carnitine is to shuttle long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane. After L-carnitine and acyl-CoA become acyl-carnitine by activation of carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT)-I, the transported acyl-carnitine is changed into acyl-CoA by CPT-II in the mitochondria matrix. Palmitoyl-CoA-induced mitochondrial respiration is increased by L-carnitine treatment, and then is accelerated by the presence of ADP. This acceleration is induced by treatment with L-carnitine in a concentration-dependent manner, and is saturated at 5 mM L-carnitine[1]. Pretreatment with L-carnitine augments Nrf2 nuclear translocation, DNA binding activity and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in Water2-treated HL7702 cells. L-carnitine protects HL7702 cells against Water2-induced cell damage through Akt-mediated activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway[2]. |
| In vivo | L-carnitine is found to down-regulate the ubiquitin proteasome pathway and increase IGF-1 concentrations in animal models. L-carnitine administration for 2 weeks of hindlimb suspension alleviates the decrease in weight and fiber size in the soleus muscle. Moreover, L-carnitine suppresses atrogin-1 mRNA expression, which has been reported to play a pivotal role in muscle atrophy[3]. Simultaneous treatment with L-carnitine attenuates the renal fibrosis (which correlated with a reduction of plasma TGF-β1 levels) and the pro-oxidative and proinflammatory status reported in L-NAME groups, with a concomitant increase in the expression of PPAR-γ[4]. |
| Synonyms | Monocamin, DL-Carnitine HCl, Bicarnesine, 混旋肉碱盐酸盐, DL-Carnitine chloride |
| molecular weight | 197.66 |
| Molecular formula | C7H15NO3·HCl |
| CAS | 461-05-2 |
| Storage | Powder: -20°C for 3 years | In solvent: -80°C for 1 year |
| Solubility | H2O: 37 mg/mL (187.2 mM) Ethanol: < 1 mg/mL (insoluble or slightly soluble) DMSO: 45 mg/mL (227.66 mM) |
| References | 1. Oyanagi E, et al. Protective action of L-carnitine on cardiac mitochondrial function and structure against fatty acidstress. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 Aug 19;412(1):61-7. 2. Li J, et al. l-carnitine protects human hepatocytes from oxidative stress-induced toxicity through Akt-mediated activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2016 May;94(5):517-25. 3. Jang J, et al. l-Carnitine supplement reduces skeletal muscle atrophy induced by prolonged hindlimb suspension in rats. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Dec;41(12):1240-1247. 4. Zambrano, S., Blanca, A., Ruiz-Armenta, M., Miguel-Carrasco, J., Arevalo, M., Mate, A., & Vazquez, C. (2014). L-Carnitine Attenuates the Development of Kidney Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats by Upregulating PPAR-. American Journal Of Hypertension, 27(3), 460-470. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpt268 |