The influence of chronic L-carnitine supplementation on the formation of preneoplastic and atherosclerotic lesions in the colon and aorta of male F344 rats.

ABSTRACT: L-Carnitine, a key component of fatty acid oxidation, is nowadays being extensively used as a nutritional supplement with allegedly "fat burning" and performance-enhancing properties, although to date there are no conclusive data supporting these claims. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between exogenous supplementation and bioavailability, i.e., fairly high oral doses are not fully absorbed and thus a significant amount of carnitine remains in the gut. Human and rat enterobacteria can degrade unabsorbed L-carnitine to trimethylamine or trimethylamine-N-oxide, which, under certain conditions, may be transformed to the known carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine. Recent findings indicate that trimethylamine-N-oxide might also be involved in the development of atherosclerotic lesion

SUBMITTER: Empl MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7079849 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature