• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.601-605
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• 1998

For the resolution of L-carnitine from DL-carnitine, resting cells of Enterobacter sp. NH-104, which had a higher capacity of D-carnitine decomposition, were harvested at maximal specific activity of D-carnitine decomposition of 47.05 unit/mg cell. The cells were frozen at $-80^{\circ}C$ to assess functions as enzyme sources. Optimal concentration of cells and DL-carnitine were 17 g/$\ell \; and \; 20 g/\ell$, respectively, and reaction buffer was best at 75 mM of Tris. HCl. Optimal temperature and pH were $36^{\circ}C$ and 8.2, respectively. When the reaction at optimal conditions was carried out for 14 h, the optical purity was 98.21 %, and the quantity and yield of remaining L-carnitine were 4.432 g/$\ell$ and 44.32%, respectively.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.238-248
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• 2012

Purpose: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is an important cause of neonatal mortality, as this brain injury disrupts normal mitochondrial respiratory activity. Carnitine plays an essential role in mitochondrial fatty acid transport and modulates excess acyl coenzyme A levels. In this study, we investigated whether treatment of primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with L-carnitine was able to prevent neurotoxicity resulting from oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Methods: Cortical neurons were prepared from Sprague-Dawley rat embryos. L-Carnitine was applied to cultures just prior to OGD and subsequent reoxygenation. The numbers of cells that stained with acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI) were counted, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the terminal uridine deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay were performed to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine (1 ${\mu}M$, 10 ${\mu}M$, and 100 ${\mu}M$) on OGD-induced neurotoxicity. Results: Treatment of primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with L-carnitine significantly reduced cell necrosis and prevented apoptosis after OGD. L-Carnitine application significantly reduced the number of cells that died, as assessed by the PI/AO ratio, and also reduced ROS release in the OGD groups treated with 10 ${\mu}M$ and 100 ${\mu}M$ of L-carnitine compared with the untreated OGD group (P<0.05). The application of L-carnitine at 100 ${\mu}M$ significantly decreased cytotoxicity, LDH release, and inhibited apoptosis compared to the untreated OGD group (P<0.05). Conclusion: L-Carnitine has neuroprotective benefits against OGD in rat primary cortical neurons in vitro.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of L-carnitine administration on lipid metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg b.w.) and was confirmed by determination of urinary glucose secretion. Diabetic rats in the three L-carnitine treated groups were given L-carnitine, 50(D5O), 100(D100) and 200 (D200) mg/kg body weight, by subcutaneously every other day for four weeks, while animals in normal (N) and diabetic (DM) groups for control received saline by the same method. The daily weight gain was not different between normal and diabetic rats, but daily dietary intake was significantly higher in diabetic rats than in normal rat. Diabetic rats had a significantly lower carnitine concentration in both serum and liver compared to normal rats. Total carnitine concentration in serum was increased dose dependently upon carnitine administration, but statistic significance was shown only in D200 group. Diabetic rats had significantly higher serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations compared to normal rats. However there were no significant differences in liver L-carnitine administration to diabetic rats significantly decreased serum triglyceride but not cholesterol concentrations. In liver, triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were not attired by L-carnitine administration. These results indicated that streptozotocin induced-diabetic rats have decreased carnitine and increased lipid concentrations compared with normal rats. Also it indicated that L-carnitine administration has an effect on the normalization of serum triglyceride concentrations in diabetic rats.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.1083-1089
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• 2002

Purpose : The prevalence of obese children has recently increased. Obesity is known to be associated with complications such as hypertension, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. L-carnitine is an essential cofactor for the transport of long chain fatty acids into mitochondria for ${\beta}$-oxidation. The purpose of this study is to measure serum free fatty acid and carnitine levels, and evaluate the role of L-carnitine as a therapeutic drug in obese children with fatty liver. Methods : Nine obese children, ranging from seven to 18 years of age, and 10 normal children were examined. Serum lipid(total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol) and fatty acid levels were analyzed. Serum total, free, and acyl carnitine levels were performed also by a new enzymatic cycling technique. Results : Long chain fatty acids(myristic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid)were significantly increased in obese children compared to the control group. Total, and acyl carnitine levels were significantly increased in obese children compared to the control group. Conclusion : Serum free fatty acid and carnitine levels were significantly increased in obese children with fatty liver compared to the normal control. This may suggest that L-carnitine can be used as antilipidemic agent to decrease fatty acid and lipid levels for obese children. Prospective studies will investigate serum fatty acid and carnitine levels after treatment of L-carnitine in obese children in the future.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.257-261
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• 2009

In this study, the correlation between color of redness and L-carnitine content in meats was investigated using microplate enzymatic assays. The L-carnitine levels and its storage stabilities of domestic and imported livestock products in Korean markets were also studied. The results showed a high correlation (r=0.9764) between L-carnitine content and redness values of homogenized meat solution. Korean native cattle ('Hanwoo') meat showed the highest L-carnitine content ($3.64{\pm}0.14{\mu}mol/g$) in meat samples analyzed in this study. The L-carnitine level of the meats decreases during periods of storage in cold and freezing conditions, and the level of decrease was more significant at $4^{\circ}C$ than at $-20^{\circ}C$, which suggests that the storage stability of L-camitine is related to its storage temperature. This study gives reliable data about correlation between meat color of redness and L-carnitine content, and gives useful information to determine the characteristics of 'Hanwoo'.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.731-738
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• 2021

Herein, a novel analytical method using a high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC/FLD) is developed for rapidly measuring an L-carnitine ester derivative in infant powdered milk. In this study, solid-phase extraction cartridges filled with derivatized methanol and distilled water were used to effectively separate L-carnitine. Protein precipitation pretreatment was carried out to remove the protein and recover the analyte extract with a high recovery (97.16%-106.56%), following which carnitine in the formula was derivatized to its ester form. Precolumn derivation with 1-aminoanthracene (1AA) was carried out in a phosphate buffer using 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) as the catalyst. Method validation was performed following the AOAC guidelines. The calibration curves were linear in the L-carnitine concentration range of 0.1-2.5 mg/L. The lower limit of quantitation and limit of detection of L-carnitine were 0.076 and 0.024 mg/L, respectively. The intra- and interday precision and recovery results were within the allowable limits. The results showed that our method helped reduce the sample preparation time. It also afforded higher resolution and better reproducibility than those obtained by traditional methods. Our method is suitable for detecting the quantity of L-carnitine in infant powdered milk containing a large amount of protein or starch.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of L-carnitine on growth performance, organ weight, biochemical parameters of blood, heart and liver, and ascites susceptibility of broilers at different ages reared under a low-temperature environment. A total of 420 1-d-old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments with fifteen replicates of fourteen broilers each. Treatment diets consisted of L-carnitine supplementation at levels of 0 and 100 mg/kg. At 11-d of age, low temperature stress was used to increase ascites susceptibility. Blood, heart and liver samples were collected at different ages for analysis of boichemical parameters. The results showed that, there was no significant difference in growth performance with L-carnitine supplementation, but the mortality due to ascites was significantly decreased. Dietary L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced heart index (HI) and ascites heart index (AHI) on d 21, lung index (LUI) on d 35 and liver index (LI) on d 42. The broilers fed diets containing L-carnitine had significantly lower red blood cell counts (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB) concentration and hematocrit (HCT) on d 42. Dietary L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content of heart tissue on d 21 and 35, and significantly increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity of the heart on d 21 and 42. L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced serum triglyceride (TG) content on d 28 and 35 and serum glucose (GLU) on d 35 and 42, and significantly increased serum total protein (TP) and globulin (GLO) content on d 42. L-carnitine supplementation significantly enhanced liver succinodehydrogenase (SDH), malic dehydrogenase (MDH) and $Na^+$-$K^+$-ATPase activity on d 28, and tended to reduce the lactic acid (LD) level of liver on d 35 (p = 0.06). L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced serum uric acid (UA) content on d 28, 35 and 42. Based on the current results, it can be concluded that dietary L-carnitine supplementation reduced organ index, red blood cell counts and hematocrit, enhanced antioxidative capacity of the heart, enhanced liver enzymes activity involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle, and reduced serum glucose and triglyceride. Therefore, it is suggested that L-carnitine can potentially reduce susceptibility and mortality due to ascites.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.3 s.47
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• pp.393-397
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• 2004

L-Carnitine $({\beta}-hydroxy-{\gamma}-trimethyl-ammoniumbutyric{\;}acid)$ is a small water-soluble molecule important in mammalian fat metabolism. It is essential for the normal oxidation of fatty acids by the mitochondria, and is involved in the trans-esterification and excretion of acyl-CoA esters. In this paper, to investigate the relationship between aging and L-carnitine, we investigated the effects of in vitro matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibition and activity and expression of UYA-induced MMPs in human skin fibroblasts. Also, we studied to develop as anti-aging cosmetics with L-carnitine. Fluorometric assays of the proteolytic activities of MMP-1 (collagenase) were performed using fluorescent collagen substrates. ELISA (enzyme linked immune sorbent assay), gelatin-substrate zymography, RT-PCR ELISA techniques were used for the effects of L-carnitine on MMP expression, activity, and MMP mRNA expression in UVA irradiated fibroblast $(5\;J/cm^2)$, respectively. In addition, we performed clinical study with L-carnitine cream. L-carnitine inhibited the activities of MMP-1 in a dose-dependent manner and the $IC_{50}$ values calculated from semi-log plots were 2.45 mM, and L-carnitine showed strong inhibition on MMP-2 (gelatinase) activity in UVA irradiated fibroblast by zymography. Also, UVA induced MMP-1, 2 expression was reduced $43\%,\;53\%$ by treated with L-carnitine at 1.25 mM, and MMP-1 mRNA expression was reduced dose-dependent manner. Therefore L-carnitine was able to significantly inhibit the MMP activity, and regulate MMP expression in protein and mRNA level. The results of clinical study showed that $1.0\%$ L-carnitine treated group reduced wrinkle significantly compared with placebo treated group (P<0.05). All these results suggest that L-carnitine may be useful as new anti-aging cosmetics for protection against UVA induced Mm expression and activity.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.39-45
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the evidence comparing the efficacy and safety between L-carnitine and extracorporeal elimination therapy in the management of acute valproic acid L-carnitine vs Extracorporeal Elimination for Acute Valproic acid Intoxication Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, KoreaMed, KMbase, and KISS were searched, using the terms carnitine and valproic acid. All studies, regardless of design, reporting efficacy or safety endpoints were included. Reference citations from identified publications were reviewed. Both English and Korean languages were included. Two authors extracted primary data elements including poisoning severity, presenting features, clinical management, and outcomes. Results: Thirty two articles including 33 cases were identified. Poisoning severity was classified as 3 mild, 11 moderate, and 19 severe cases. Nine cases were treated with L-carnitine while 24 cases received extracorporeal therapy without L-carnitine. All patients except one expired patient treated with hemodialysis recovered clinically and no adverse effects were noted. A case report comparing two patients who ingested the same amount of valproic acid showed increased ICU stay (3 vs 11 days) in case of delayed extracorporeal therapy. Conclusion: Published evidence comparing L-carnitine with extracorporeal therapy is limited. Based on the available evidence, it is reasonable to consider L-carnitine for patients with acute valproic acid overdose. In case of severe poisoning, extracorporeal therapy would also be considered in the early phase of treatment.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.230-233
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• 1988

This study was undertaken to elucidate the role of L-carnitine on cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin in mice. We designed to investigate both lipoperoxidation and histopathology in experimental group. The results obtained from prior with concurrent treatment of L-carnitine showed as follows; 1) Combination of L-carnitine showed significant inhibition of lipoperoxide in liver than heart. 2) By means of electron microscopy, we obtained histological evidence that doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, is prevented by L-carnitine.