l-Carnitine Could Not Improve Hepatic Warm Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Despite Ameliorated Blood Flow1

Background Carnitine is applied to ameliorate ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of several organs. However, application to hepatic I/R injury is not frequently reported. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of exogenous carnitine administration to ameliorate the warm hepatic I/R injury. Materials and methods Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups, a carnitine group (Car);100 mg/kg of l -carnitine administration and a control group (C); vehicle administration. Thirty minutes after administration, the left hepatic lobes were given 60-min ischemia and then reperfused. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and lipoperoxides (LPO) were measured. Hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration was also measured. The hepatic blood flow was estimated using a Laser Doppler. The presence of apoptosis in the livers was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Results In group Car, the blood flow of the left hepatic lobes was better recovered during the reperfusion period than in group C ( P Conclusions Although carnitine administration improved the hepatic blood flow during the reperfusion period, we could not demonstrate a protective effect to the hepatic warm I/R injury.