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Effect of carnitine on serum cholesterol of alcoholic cardiomyopathy dogs
Author(s) -
Yuan Lin,
Li WeiMin,
Jing Ling,
Zhou LiJun
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
european journal of lipid science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1438-9312
pISSN - 1438-7697
DOI - 10.1002/ejlt.200900247
Subject(s) - carnitine , alcoholic cardiomyopathy , valsartan , medicine , cardiomyopathy , alcohol , heart failure , cardiac function curve , cardiology , endocrinology , cholesterol , chemistry , biochemistry , blood pressure
Carnitine is known to be essential for metabolism regulation in some heart diseases such as coronary heart disease. We evaluated the effect of carnitine and valsartan on alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM); surprisingly, it was found that carnitine leads to variations in serum lipids. The results of our study, supported by cardiac function assessment, LVW/BW ratio, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and electron microscopic morphology, not only demonstrated the validity of our ACM model but also addressed the therapeutic benefits of carnitine and valsartan in antagonizing ACM development. The alcohol group displayed a high LVEDd and low EF and FS, indicating both heart failure and cardiac remodeling. Compared with the alcohol and alcohol/valsartan groups, the concentration of serum cholesterol in the alcohol/carnitine group was significantly increased between baseline and 6 months. The body weights of dogs from the alcohol group slowly increased between baseline and 6 months, although the LV weight increased quickly. The results suggest that both carnitine and valsartan have a favorable effect on ACM. However, the fact that carnitine could increase the serum cholesterol level should lead to caution in the treatment of ACM patients who are suffering from coronary disease in the meantime.