Carnitine dynamics and their effects on hyperammonemia in cirrhotic Japanese patients

Aim Supplementation with levocarnitine preparations has been reported to improve hepatic encephalopathy, but no detailed investigations have addressed the dynamics of carnitine or its supplementation indication in cirrhosis patients. We studied carnitine dynamics in cirrhotic patients by measuring s...

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Published in:Hepatology research 2017-03, Vol.47 (4), p.321-327
Main Authors: Shiraki, Makoto, Shimizu, Masahito, Moriwaki, Hisataka, Okita, Kiwamu, Koike, Kazuhiko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonia
Blood levels
Carnitine
Cirrhosis
Hepatic encephalopathy
Hyperammonemia
levocarnitine
Liver cirrhosis
liver tissue carnitine concentration
serum carnitine concentration
Supplements
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Summary:Aim Supplementation with levocarnitine preparations has been reported to improve hepatic encephalopathy, but no detailed investigations have addressed the dynamics of carnitine or its supplementation indication in cirrhosis patients. We studied carnitine dynamics in cirrhotic patients by measuring serum and liver tissue carnitine levels and tested the effects of levocarnitine supplementation on concurrent hyperammonemia. Methods In a pilot cohort of seven patients with liver cirrhosis and five patients without cirrhosis, the serum and liver carnitine concentrations were measured. Then the serum carnitine fractions were analyzed in 70 liver cirrhosis patients. Among them, a levocarnitine preparation (1800 mg/day) was supplemented orally for 3 months in 27 patients with refractory hyperammonemia, and the effects were evaluated. Results A significant correlation was observed between serum and liver tissue carnitine concentrations (r = 0.69, P 
ISSN:1386-6346
1872-034X
DOI:10.1111/hepr.12750