Kloiber O, Banjac B, Drewes L R
Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, F.R.G.
Toxicology. 1988 Apr;49(1):83-90. doi: 10.1016/0300-483x(88)90178-3.
The quaternary amine L-carnitine is able to protect Swiss Albino mice from hyperammonemia when administered in high doses before ammonium acetate. This has been explained by its specific ability to shuttle fatty acids into mitochondria. The structure of L-carnitine resembles the chemical structure of other substances that have been described as being able to protect living cells against osmotic stress. We subjected Swiss Albino mice to hyperammonemia after pretreatment with L-carnitine or "osmoprotectants" such as the quaternary amines choline and betaine, and trimethylamine N-oxide. L-Carnitine proved to be the drug of choice to protect against acute hyperammonemia. Nevertheless, the other tested compounds appeared also to be effective, suggesting that osmoregulation plays a major role in protection against hyperammonemia.
季铵型L-肉碱在乙酸铵之前高剂量给药时，能够保护瑞士白化小鼠免受高氨血症的影响。这已通过其将脂肪酸转运到线粒体中的特殊能力得到解释。L-肉碱的结构类似于其他被描述为能够保护活细胞免受渗透应激的物质的化学结构。我们在用L-肉碱或“渗透保护剂”（如季铵类胆碱、甜菜碱和氧化三甲胺）预处理后，使瑞士白化小鼠发生高氨血症。事实证明，L-肉碱是预防急性高氨血症的首选药物。然而，其他测试化合物似乎也有效，这表明渗透调节在预防高氨血症中起主要作用。
