ACETYL-DL-CARNITINE HYDROCHLORIDE

Uses

(±)-Acetylcarnitine Chloride is a drug absorption-enhancing agent in the gastrointestinal tract.

Biological Activity

(±)-acetylcarnitine chloride is an agonist for cholinergic.acetylcholine receptor (achr) is an integral membrane protein receptor for acetylcholine. there are two kinds of achrs: nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.(±)-acetylcarnitine chloride is a cholinergic agonist and an intermediate in lipid metabolism [1]. in retinal ganglion cells, acetylcarnitine and acetylcholine inhibited gabaergic responses to exogenous gaba and gabaergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents [2].in dogs with coronary ligation, (-)-carnitine chloride (lcc) (300 mg/kg) and acetyl (-)-carnitine chloride (alcc) (300 mg/kg) inhibited the ventricular arrhythmia. also, lcc and alcc improved oxidative phosphorylation rate and the mitochondrial function [1]. in the mouse hot plate test, acetyl-l-carnitine (alcar) (100 mg/kg) exhibited analgesia. while, u-73122 and neomycin (the phospholipase c (plc) inhibitors) blocked the increase of the pain threshold induced by alcar. licl that impairing phosphatidylinositol synthesis antagonized the antinociception in a dose-dependent way. pma and pdbu (pkc activators) blocked the increase of the pain threshold in a dose-dependent way. these results suggested that alcar analgesia required the participation of the plc-ip3 pathway [3].

Biochem/physiol Actions

Weak cholinergic receptor agonist; intermediate in lipid metabolism.

Purification Methods

Recrystallise the chloride from isopropanol. Dry it over P2O5 under high vacuum. The S-betaine crystallises from EtOH/Et2O with m 145o(dec) and is hygroscopic; it has [] D -19.5o (c 6, H2O). [Krimberg & Wittandt Biochem Z 251 231 1932, Strack et al. Z Physiol Chem 238 191 1936, Beilstein 4 III 1630, 1632.]