Assessment of Free L- Carnitine Levels in Type II Diabetic Women with and without Complications

L-carnitine plays an important role in fatty acids and glucose metabolism. On the other hand, hyperglycaemia and hyper-lipidemia are two independent risk factors in development of diabetes complications such as atherosclerosis, nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy. The aim of the present study was to compare the serum free L-carnitine level in diabetic women with and without diabetes complications. In this case-control study, 17 diabetic women with complications (cases) and 17 control diabetic women without any complications were the subjects of this study. Assessment of free L-carnitine level was made using enzymatic kit and uv/vis spectrophotometer.The results showed that although the serum free carnitine levels was within the normal range in both groups and carnitine deficiency was not seen in any of these groups, the overall mean serum free L-carnitine concentration in the case group was significantly lower than that in the control group (41.76±2.85vs. 53.89±3.55μmol/L, respectively (p<0.001). The finding from this study suggest that the lower serum L-carnitine level measured in the complicated group might be due to increased L-carnitine acylation, increased acyl-carnitine excretion, or its decreased renal re-absorption. This difference may be the result of rising in the L-carnitine requirement in diabetic patients with diabetic complications. Based on these results, carnitine supplementation might be useful in diabetic patients, especially in those with diabetes complications.