L-carnitine Corrects Ammonia Metabolism in Hepatectomized Patients

L-carnitine Corrects Ammonia Metabolism in Hepatectomized Patients

L-carnitine is synthesized from lysine and methionine. Postmortem concentrations of carnitine in liver, muscle, heart, kidney, and brain averaged only one-fourth to one-third those in corresponding tissues of eight normally nourished non-hepatic patients who died after an acute illness of a 1-3-day duration. In the recent years, it has been reported that sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is protective against acute kidney injury (AKI) and suggest that enhancing SIRT3 to improve mitochondrial dynamics has potential as a strategy for improving outcomes of renal injury. In the current study, it is the first clinical interventional research whether L-carnitine corrects ammonia metabolism associated with liver injury in hepatectomized patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients were those surgically treated for hepato-biliary diseases

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient exclusion criteria included a body weight loss greater than 10% during the six months prior to surgery, the presence of distant metastases, or seriously impaired function of vital organs due to respiratory, renal or heart disease.