The antioxidant impact of the L-carnitine (LC) in platelet concentrates during storage

Oxidative stress has a crucial role in formation of platelet storage lesion (PSL) which can lead to decreased platelet viability and quality for transfusion. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the L-carnitine (LC) antioxidant properties on platelet oxidative damage during storage.
In this experimental study, we selected ten platelet concentrated (PC) bags from healthy donors prepared from Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) and stored at 22º C with gentle agitation up to 5 days in the presence or absence of a 100 mM L-carnitine. For evaluation of oxidative damage, we measured total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondealdehyde concentration (MDA) in L-carnitine treated platelets and untreated platelets (control group); then, the results were compared between th etwo groups.
According to the results, TAC in LC treated platelets was significantly higher than platelets without LC on day 3 and day 5 of storage (p day3 = 0.008, p day5 = 0.005). On the other hand, MDA concentration in LC treated platelets was less statistically significant compared with the control group on day 3 and 5 of storage (p day3 = 0.008, p day5 = 0.005).
According to our results, LC is able to decrease lipid peroxidation in platelets. What is more, the antioxidant effect of LC could modulate oxidative damage in platelets during storage. It seems that LC can be considered as a good additive solution in platelets to maintain platelet quality.