L-carnitine Improved the Cardiac Function via the Effect on Myocardial Fatty Acid Metabolism in a Hemodialysis Patient

Intern Med. 2018 Dec 15;57(24):3593-3596. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.1055-18. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Abstract

Patients on hemodialysis often have carnitine deficiency. We herein report a woman who experienced the dramatic improvement of cardiac dysfunction after intravenous L-carnitine administration. We also investigated the myocardial fatty acid metabolism using 123I-labeled β-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after L-carnitine therapy, and the impaired metabolism was ameliorated. Taken together, these findings indicate that L-carnitine therapy improved cardiac dysfunction via the amelioration of the abnormal myocardial fatty acid metabolism, at least in part.

Keywords: 123I-labeled β-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP); carnitine; fatty acid metabolism; hemodialysis (HD); single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Intravenous
  • Cardiomyopathies / drug therapy*
  • Cardiomyopathies / etiology
  • Cardiomyopathies / metabolism*
  • Carnitine / administration & dosage
  • Carnitine / deficiency*
  • Carnitine / metabolism
  • Carnitine / therapeutic use*
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Heart / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Hyperammonemia / drug therapy*
  • Hyperammonemia / etiology
  • Hyperammonemia / metabolism*
  • Iodine Radioisotopes
  • Iodobenzenes
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscular Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Muscular Diseases / etiology
  • Muscular Diseases / metabolism*
  • Myocardium / metabolism*
  • Renal Dialysis / adverse effects*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / methods

Substances

  • Fatty Acids
  • Iodine Radioisotopes
  • Iodobenzenes
  • iodofiltic acid
  • pentadecanoic acid
  • Carnitine

Supplementary concepts

  • Systemic carnitine deficiency