Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if free or esterified carnitine could alter fatty acid metabolism and ameliorate sepsis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats. Throughout a 96 h observation post-LPS, i.p. administration of both markedly reduced illness and accelerated recovery. Carnitine prevented the acute LPS-induced rise in serum triglycerides (45 ± 6, 59 ± 5 vs. 83 ± 8 mg/ml, p < 0.001), respectively. This difference was accompanied by a significant increase in liver lipogenesis in LPS controls compared to both carnitines and normal rats (6.1 ± 0.3 vs. 3.9 ± 0.5, 4.3 ± 0.5, and 1.8 ± 0.4 μmol/h, respectively, p < 0.04). Compared to normal rats, total liver carnitine was significantly elevated in LPS controls and even higher in the carnitine groups (357 ± 40 vs. 736 ± 38, 796 ± 79, and 1081 ± 21 nmol/g). The data suggest that carnitines may be of therapeutic value in sepsis treatment and one action may be to partition fatty acids from esterification to oxidation.