(±)-Carnitine

Sprague-Dawley albino (male, initial weight ~120 g)^[3]

0.2% (incorporated into diet)

oral (ad libitum); 43 days

Showed no significant effect on liver metabolite concentrations, adenine nucleotide levels, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial redox ratios, or phosphorylation states in rats fed a 30% fat diet alone.
Significantly decreased liver acetoacetate levels from 0.325 ± 0.028 to 0.214 ± 0.037 μmoles/g wet weight in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Significantly decreased liver β-hydroxybutyrate levels from 0.694 ± 0.083 to 0.383 ± 0.087 μmoles/g wet weight in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Caused a slight, non-significant decrease in acetyl CoA levels in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Increased α-oxoglutarate levels from 0.098 ± 0.016 to 0.160 ± 0.014 μmoles/g wet weight in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Increased the cytoplasmic NADP+/NADPH ratio from 0.0049 ± 0.0005 to 0.0070 ± 0.0003 in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Increased the mitochondrial NAD+/NADH ratio from 3.26 ± 0.69 to 5.66 ± 0.43 in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.
Showed no significant effect on lactate, pyruvate, malate, phosphoenolpyruvate, 3-phosphoglycerate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, α-glycerophosphate, glucose-6-phosphate, citrate, isocitrate, NH4+, L-glutamate, CoA, adenine nucleotide levels, cytoplasmic NAD+/NADH ratio, or cytoplasmic and mitochondrial phosphorylation states in rats fed a 30% fat plus 20% 1,3-butanediol diet.