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J. Lipid Res.
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Originally published In Press as doi:10.1194/jlr.M300425-JLR200 on January 1, 2004

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Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 45, 729-735, April 2004
Copyright © 2004 by American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Acetyl-L-carnitine supplementation restores decreased tissue carnitine levels and impaired lipid metabolism in aged rats

Yasukazu Tanaka1,*, Rorie Sasaki*, Fumiko Fukui*, Hatsue Waki*, Terue Kawabata{dagger}, Mitsuyo Okazaki§, Kyoko Hasegawa{dagger} and Susumu Ando*

* Neuronal Function Research Group, Division of Neuroscience and Brain Function, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakaecho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
{dagger} Faculty of Nutrition, Kagawa Nutrition University, 3-9-21 Chiyo, Sakado-shi, Saitama 350-0288, Japan
§ Laboratory of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 2-8-30 Kounodai, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba 272-0827, Japan

1 To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: yasu{at}center.tmig.or.jp

The effects of long-term carnitine supplementation on age-related changes in tissue carnitine levels and in lipid metabolism were investigated. The total carnitine levels in heart, skeletal muscle, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus were ~20% less in aged rats (22 months old) than in young rats (6 months old). On the contrary, plasma carnitine levels were not affected by aging. Supplementation of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR; 100 mg/kg body weight/day for 3 months) significantly increased tissue carnitine levels in aged rats but had little effect on tissue carnitine levels in young rats. Plasma lipoprotein analyses revealed that triacylglycerol levels in VLDL and cholesterol levels in LDL and in HDL were all significantly higher in aged rats than in young rats. ALCAR treatment decreased all lipoprotein fractions and consequently the levels of triacylglycerol and cholesterol. The reduction in plasma cholesterol contents in ALCAR-treated aged rats was attributable mainly to a decrease of cholesteryl esters rather than to a decrease of free cholesterol. Another remarkable effect of ALCAR was that it decreased the cholesterol content and cholesterol-phospholipid ratio in the brain tissues of aged rats.

These results indicate that chronic ALCAR supplementation reverses the age-associated changes in lipid metabolism.

Supplementary key words triacylglycerol • cholesterol • lipoproteins • ketone bodies • synaptic membranes


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