Antiinflammatory effects of l-carnitine supplementation (1000 mg/d) in coronary artery disease patients

Objective: Inflammation mediators have been recognized as risk factors for the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of l-carnitine supplementation (LC, 1000 mg/d) on inflammation markers in patients with CAD. Methods: We enrolled 47 patients with CAD in the study. The patients with CAD were identified by cardiac catheterization as having <50% stenosis of one major coronary artery. The patients were randomly assigned to the placebo (n = 24) and LC (n = 23) groups and the intervention was administered for 12 wk. The levels of LC, antioxidant status (malondialdehyde and antioxidant enzymes activities), and inflammation markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin [IL]-6, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) were measured. Results: Thirty-nine participants completed the study (19 placebo; 20 LC). After LC supplementation, the levels of inflammation markers were significantly reduced compared with the baseline (CRP, P < 0.01; IL-6, P = 0.03; TNF-α, P = 0.07) and those in the placebo group (CRP, P < 0.05; IL-6, P= 0.04; TNF-α, P = 0.03). The levels of inflammation markers were significantly negatively correlated with the levels of LC and antioxidant enzymes activities (P < 0.05). Conclusions: We suggest that LC supplementation, due to its antioxidant effects, may have potential utility to reduce inflammation in CAD.