Lai H S, Chen Y, Chen W J
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China.
World J Surg. 1998 Jan;22(1):42-6; discussion 46-7. doi: 10.1007/s002689900347.
Carnitine, an important carrier of free fatty acid that is transported into mitochondria for beta-oxidation, was thought to be one of the key factors in the regulation of liver regeneration. If the carnitine content is insufficient in the hepatocyte, it might impair the energy substrate's transport and the energy charge required for cell regeneration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changes of carnitine content in remnant liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle simultaneously after partial hepatectomy in rats. Partial hepatectomy with resection of the median and left lateral lobes was performed on male Wistar rats. Rats with a sham operation comprised a control group. This study was an experimental randomized trial. Ten rats from each group were sacrificed before the operation and at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the operation. The carnitine content, as total and free forms, in remnant liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The carnitine contents in the remnant liver increased significantly at 6, 24, and 48 hours after partial hepatectomy (p < 0.01). The increase of total carnitine content was more obvious than that of the free form. In contrast, the decreasing concentrations of total carnitine and free carnitine in the kidney were significant (p < 0.01). In skeletal muscle the total carnitine content decreased to a small extent, and it was observed only at 6 hours after partial hepatectomy (p < 0.05). It is suggested that remnant liver promoted the generation of carnitine, whereas kidney and skeletal muscle released their stored carnitine at an early stage after partial hepatectomy. As a result, the influx of the carnitine into hepatocytes increased at the regenerative stage. The carnitine content of remnant liver is sufficient during the early posthepatectomy stage.
肉碱是游离脂肪酸的重要载体，可将其转运至线粒体进行β氧化，被认为是肝脏再生调节的关键因素之一。如果肝细胞中的肉碱含量不足，可能会损害能量底物的转运以及细胞再生所需的能量电荷。本研究的目的是评估大鼠部分肝切除术后残余肝脏、肾脏和骨骼肌中肉碱含量的同时变化。对雄性Wistar大鼠进行切除中叶和左外侧叶的部分肝切除术。进行假手术的大鼠作为对照组。本研究为实验性随机试验。每组10只大鼠在术前以及术后6、24、48和72小时处死。通过高效液相色谱法定量残余肝脏、肾脏和骨骼肌中总肉碱和游离肉碱形式的肉碱含量。部分肝切除术后6、24和48小时，残余肝脏中的肉碱含量显著增加（p<0.01）。总肉碱含量的增加比游离形式更明显。相比之下，肾脏中总肉碱和游离肉碱浓度的降低具有显著性（p<0.01）。在骨骼肌中，总肉碱含量仅在部分肝切除术后6小时有小幅度下降（p<0.05）。提示残余肝脏促进了肉碱的生成，而肾脏和骨骼肌在部分肝切除术后早期释放其储存的肉碱。结果，在再生阶段肉碱向肝细胞的流入增加。肝切除术后早期残余肝脏的肉碱含量充足。
