Carnitine Content in Different Muscles of Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis

Dębska-Ślizień, Alicja; Kawecka, Aleksandra; Wojnarowski, Klaudiusz; Zadroṅy, Dariusz; Kunicka, Danuta; Król, Ewa; Łysiak-Szydłowska, Wiesława; Rutkowski, Bolesław

doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2007.05.002

« Previous Next »Journal of Renal Nutrition
Volume 17, Issue 4 , Pages 275-281, July 2007

Carnitine Content in Different Muscles of Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis

Alicja Dębska-Ślizień, MD, PhD
- Departments of Nephrology, Transplantology, and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
- Address reprint requests to Alicja Dębska-Ślizień, MD, PhD, Department of Nephrology, Transplantology, and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki Street 7, Gdańsk 80-211, Poland.
Aleksandra Kawecka, MD, PhD
- Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Klaudiusz Wojnarowski, MD
- Departments of Nephrology, Transplantology, and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Dariusz Zadroṅy, MD, PhD
- Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Danuta Kunicka, MA
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Ewa Król, MD, PhD
- Departments of Nephrology, Transplantology, and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Wiesława Łysiak-Szydłowska, MD, PhD
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Bolesław Rutkowski, MD, PhD
- Departments of Nephrology, Transplantology, and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.

Objective

Chronic hemodialysis may lead to losses of carnitine from plasma and muscles. The aim of the present study was a comparison of carnitine contents in different human muscles (brachioradialis muscle and rectus muscle of abdomen) and evaluation of the correlation between plasma and tissue carnitine concentrations in patients receiving hemodialysis and healthy control patients.

Methods

The studies were performed in two groups of patients receiving hemodialysis. The first group included 37 patients (18 male, 19 female) (muscle specimen was taken from the brachioradialis muscle). The second group included 28 patients (15 male, 13 female) (muscle specimen was taken from the rectus muscle of abdomen). The other two separate groups of patients without renal involvement served as the controls.

Results

Significantly lower free plasma and free muscle carnitine (FMC) contents were noticed in patients receiving hemodialysis in comparison with the controls. Significantly higher total muscle carnitine (TMC) and FMC concentrations in the brachioradialis muscle in comparison with the rectus muscle of abdomen were observed in both the hemodialysis and control groups. Negative correlations between TMC, FMC, and FMC/TMC ratio versus duration of hemodialysis were found. No correlations between muscle and serum carnitine levels were observed.

Conclusions

Patients receiving hemodialysis are carnitine deficient. Tissue carnitine depletion is related to hemodialysis duration. Carnitine concentration in blood does not represent the whole carnitine stores in patients receiving hemodialysis. Brachioradialis muscle carnitine contents are significantly higher than those in the rectus muscle of abdomen.