l-carnitine the science behind an important functional nutrient for people and pets johnny lopez,...
TRANSCRIPT
L-Carnitine
The Science Behind an Important Functional Nutrient for People and Pets
Johnny Lopez, PhD
Outline
• Introduction and history• Food Science and Chemistry• Roles of L-Carnitine in the body • Thinking outside the box• Summary
Introduction and history
• L-Carnitine first discovered in 1905– 1927 structure became more defined– 1948 thought to be a B vitamin (Vitamin BT)
• its role in B oxidation became more understood
– 1962 established it to be “L- Carnitine”– Years later much more learned
Historical review of progress…
Item TimeframeOn Mitochondria 1960’s
Inflammation and connective tissue Late 60’s-70’s
Tumor and cancer cells Early 70’s to date
Myopathies, cardiac failure 90’s thru today
infants and feeding formulas Mid 90’s
Aging, type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue, Alzheimer's, performance
Late 90’s thru today
Food Science and Chemistry
Synonym: Vitamin BT
Reactive properties: • Molecular weight 161• Hygroscopic
Stability: Thermostable (up to 395°F)
Toxicity: Small, LD50 (rats) >5 g/kg BW
Approved: AAFCO and FDA approved
L-Carnitine
CH3CH3CH
3
O O
N
C HH
C HH
C
+
C HH O
-
Naturally synthesized Manufactured in liver & kidneys but varies by
species In dogs, liver is the only active organ In cats, both liver and kidney are active
Starts with protein-bound Lysine and S-adenosylmethionine
A 5-step process, typically last step is rate limiting to manufacture 1 g of LC requires 30 g of muscle protein requires vitamin C, niacin, vitamin B6 and iron
In humans, 25% of L-carnitine needs met by synthesis.
Food Science and Chemistry
Metabolic demands for L-Carnitine
• Can be divided into 3 categories– Primary– Secondary– Functional shortage
• age dependent• condition dependent
Carnitine content of foods (mg/g)
• Muscle (lamb) - 2.03• Muscle (beef) - 0.61• Muscle (pig) -
0.27• Heart (cattle) -
0.23• Muscle (poultry)- 0.09• Milk (cow) - 0.026
• Liver (lamb) - 0.022• Salmon - 0.0006• Rice - 0.018• Eggs and peas - 0.008• Potatoes -
0.0003• Carrots/spinach - 0.000
adopted Heinz Loster 2003/Rigault 2007
Total Carnitine, humans (umol/ml)
Infants (3 kg)• Skeletal muscle 1.98• Liver 0.55• Heart 0.77• Plasma
– males 0.026– females
0.023
Adults (70 kg)• Skeletal muscle
3.96• Liver 2.90• Heart 4.80• Brain 0.30
L-Carnitine in Pet Food
• Varies by type of ingredients– foods of animal origin blended with other ingredients– processing such boiling, soaked, washing– freezing and/or drying
• Not understood is bioavailability of natural forms of L-Carnitine
• It matters: bound vs free L-Carnitine
Cytosol
Cell
Mitochondria
CoA
Fatty acid
L-Carnitine
ß-OxidationCoA
L-CarnitineCoA + CoA+
L-Carnitine CoA+L-Carnitine+
Krebs-CycleRespiration
CoA +Energy(ATP)
L-Carnitine physiology and its role in energy production
L-Carnitine supplementation can influence total metabolism
↓ BCAADH(leucine, iso,)
↑ β-oxidation
Pyruvate
Acetyl CoA
OAA
Citrate
α-kg
Glucose
TCA
Glycogen
Protein
Fat + L-Carnitine
Amino Acids
PyruvateCarboxylase
Roles of L-Carnitine in the body• Convert fat into energy.
– Helps manage weight loss in dogs and cats• Cardio-vascular system
– Heart energy comes mostly from fat and L-Carnitine • Antioxidant support
– Serves as an antioxidant• Cognitive function
– cerebral absorption of Fat soluble vitamins; protect from oxidative decay• Maintaining muscle integrity
– provide blood flow to smooth muscles
Human usage of L-Carnitine
• Large number of products entering the market– Examples
• The amount of publications out per year– Table
Thinking outside the box
• Weight management• other applications
Thank You!
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Johnny Lopez, PhDBusiness & Technical Manager
817-995-2484
201-669-3576