Reuter Stephanie E, Evans Allan M, Chace Donald H, Fornasini Gianfranco
Sansom Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Ann Clin Biochem. 2008 Nov;45(Pt 6):585-92. doi: 10.1258/acb.2008.008045. Epub 2008 Sep 9.
l-carnitine is an endogenous substance, vital in the transport of fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for oxidation. Disturbances in carnitine homeostasis can have a significant impact on human health; therefore, it is critical to define normal endogenous concentrations for l-carnitine and its esters to facilitate the diagnosis of carnitine deficiency disorders. This study was conducted to determine the normal concentrations of a number of carnitines in healthy adults using three analytical methods. The impact of age and gender on carnitine concentrations was also examined.
Blood samples were collected from 60 healthy subjects of both genders and various ages. Plasma samples were analysed for endogenous carnitine concentrations by radioenzymatic assay, high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.
Precision and accuracy of results obtained for each assay were within acceptable limits. Average endogenous concentrations obtained from the three analytical methods in this study were in the range of 38-44, 6-7 and 49-50 mumol/L for l-carnitine, acetyl-l-carnitine and total carnitine, respectively. Comparison of results between the genders indicated that males had significantly higher endogenous plasma l-carnitine and total carnitine concentrations than females. Age was found to have no impact on plasma carnitine concentrations.
These results are useful in the evaluation of biochemical or metabolic disturbances and in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with carnitine deficiency.
左旋肉碱是一种内源性物质，对脂肪酸穿过线粒体内膜进行氧化的过程至关重要。肉碱稳态的紊乱会对人类健康产生重大影响；因此，确定左旋肉碱及其酯类的正常内源性浓度对于促进肉碱缺乏症的诊断至关重要。本研究旨在使用三种分析方法测定健康成年人中多种肉碱的正常浓度。同时还研究了年龄和性别对肉碱浓度的影响。
采集了60名不同年龄和性别的健康受试者的血样。通过放射酶法、高效液相色谱法和电喷雾串联质谱法分析血浆样本中的内源性肉碱浓度。
每种检测方法所得结果的精密度和准确度均在可接受范围内。本研究中通过三种分析方法测得的左旋肉碱、乙酰左旋肉碱和总肉碱的平均内源性浓度分别在38 - 44、6 - 7和49 - 50μmol/L范围内。性别间结果比较表明，男性血浆中左旋肉碱和总肉碱的内源性浓度显著高于女性。研究发现年龄对血浆肉碱浓度没有影响。
这些结果有助于评估生化或代谢紊乱情况，并用于肉碱缺乏症患者的诊断和治疗。
