Carnitine as a free radical scavenger in aging.

Carnitine (4-N-trimethylammonium-3-hydroxybutyric acid) plays an important role in the translocation of acetyl moieties from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm for acetylcholine synthesis in the brain. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that L-carnitine suppresses oxidative damage during aging. This study was carried out to see the effect of L-carnitine on the status of non-enzymatic antioxidants and lipofuscin accumulation in various regions of the aged rat brain. We observed a decrease in the status of ascorbic acid, glutathione and vitamin E in aged rats. Histological work showed that the accumulation of lipofuscin increased as a function of age. The extent of damage varied between the regions we have investigated. Supplementation of L-carnitine to aged rat improved the antioxidant status in a duration dependent manner. The accumulation of lipofuscin was also found to be decreased after L-carnitine administration. The data suggests that decrement of lipofuscin accumulation by L-carnitine may be partially due to its antioxidant promoting action.