Open Access

Effect of L‑carnitine on health‑related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis

  • Authors:
    • Shinya Sato
    • Tadashi Namisaki
    • Masanori Furukawa
    • Soichiro Saikawa
    • Hideto Kawaratani
    • Kosuke Kaji
    • Hiroaki Takaya
    • Naotaka Shimozato
    • Yasuhiko Sawada
    • Koh Kitagawa
    • Kei Moriya
    • Takemi Akahane
    • Akira Mitoro
    • Noriyuki Hoki
    • Tatsuichi Ann
    • Hitoshi Yoshiji
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: October 20, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2020.1372
  • Article Number: 65
  • Copyright: © Sato et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

L‑carnitine (4‑N‑trimethylammonium‑3‑hydroxybutyric acid) is the physiologically active form of carnitine and is a natural compound that has been shown to exhibit antioxidant activity. L‑carnitine is used as a supplementary treatment in patients with cirrhosis with hepatic encephalopathy, hyperammonemia or muscle cramps. In the present study, the effect of L‑carnitine supplementation on health‑related quality of life in 30 patients with cirrhosis was prospectively examined. L‑carnitine (1,800 mg/day) was administered orally for 6 months. To assess the effects of L‑carnitine on chronic fatigue, patients filled out a self‑report questionnaire regarding their physical and mental health. The levels of total and free carnitine, and acylcarnitine were found to be significantly higher 1, 3 and 6 months after therapy initiation compared with before treatment. Serum albumin levels were significantly increased 3 and 6 months after initiation of therapy. L‑carnitine supplementation significantly increased the BAP/d‑ROM ratio, a marker of antioxidant status in patients with cirrhosis. Changes in serum carnitine concentrations were positively correlated with changes in serum albumin levels (R2=0.369; P=0.012), but not with changes in serum ammonia levels (R2= 0.005; P=0.78). Total and mental health scores improved significantly, and physical scores improved marginally 3 and 6 months after initiation of L‑carnitine. These findings may be attributed to the enhanced serum albumin levels and oxidative stress rather than the reduced serum ammonia levels. Based on these results, it is suggested that L‑carnitine can potentially alleviate chronic fatigue, along with the increased BAP/d‑ROM ratio, which were involved in increased oxidative stress in patients with cirrhosis. The specific mechanisms by which L‑carnitine ameliorates chronic fatigue is not fully understood and requires further investigation.
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December-2020
Volume 13 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 2049-9434
Online ISSN:2049-9442

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Sato S, Namisaki T, Furukawa M, Saikawa S, Kawaratani H, Kaji K, Takaya H, Shimozato N, Sawada Y, Kitagawa K, Kitagawa K, et al: Effect of L‑carnitine on health‑related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis. Biomed Rep 13: 65, 2020
APA
Sato, S., Namisaki, T., Furukawa, M., Saikawa, S., Kawaratani, H., Kaji, K. ... Yoshiji, H. (2020). Effect of L‑carnitine on health‑related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis. Biomedical Reports, 13, 65. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2020.1372
MLA
Sato, S., Namisaki, T., Furukawa, M., Saikawa, S., Kawaratani, H., Kaji, K., Takaya, H., Shimozato, N., Sawada, Y., Kitagawa, K., Moriya, K., Akahane, T., Mitoro, A., Hoki, N., Ann, T., Yoshiji, H."Effect of L‑carnitine on health‑related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis". Biomedical Reports 13.6 (2020): 65.
Chicago
Sato, S., Namisaki, T., Furukawa, M., Saikawa, S., Kawaratani, H., Kaji, K., Takaya, H., Shimozato, N., Sawada, Y., Kitagawa, K., Moriya, K., Akahane, T., Mitoro, A., Hoki, N., Ann, T., Yoshiji, H."Effect of L‑carnitine on health‑related quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis". Biomedical Reports 13, no. 6 (2020): 65. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2020.1372