L-Carnitine Supplementation and Adipokines in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease on Regular Hemodialysis

Chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients frequently encounter carnitine depletion, elevated adipose tissue-derived hormones/cytokines, that may contribute to accelerated arteriosclerosis. 10 non-diabetic HD patients were studied over 28 weeks. In the 12 weeks treatment period 1 g 1-carnitine was given iv after each HD session. Measurements of plasma free- and acylcarnitines, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, resistin and ghrelin were performed at baseline, at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 (treatment period) and at weeks 24-28 (post-treatment period). L-carnitine supplementation resulted in progressive increase of free- and acylcarnitine levels. Plasma levels of insulin, resistin, leptin and ghrelin remained at the already elevated baseline values. L-carnitine therapy induced a significant increase in plasma adiponectin from 20.2 +/- 12.7 mu g/ml (baseline) to 32.7 +/- 20.2 mu g/ml in week 2 (p < 0.05) and 35.4 +/- 19.6 mu g/ml in week 12 (p < 0.03), which remained unchanged in the post-carnitine period. Plasma insulin levels correlated positively with leptin (r = 0.525, p < 0.0001) and resistin (r = 0.284, p < 0.005); adiponectin levels correlated inversely with leptin (r = -0.255, p < 0.02) and resistin (r = -0.213, p < 0.04) irrespective of carnitine status. Plasma levels of adipokines and related hormones are greatly elevated in patients on regular HD. L-carnitine administration further augmented the plasma levels of protective adiponectin, therefore it may have a role in preventing cardiovascular complications of uremia.