Influence of L-carnitine on reactive oxygen species production by blood phagocytes in postinfarction cardiosclerosis patients

Aim. To study the influence of L-carnitine on reactive oxygen species production by phagocytes in blood of patients with postinfarction cardiosclerosis.Material and methods. Peroxide species formation was registered via lucigenine-dependent chemiluminescence by luminometer “Biotox-7” (Russia) in 15 patients with postinfarction cardiosclerosis. We studied the baseline and stimulated by forbole ether (PMA) chemiluminescence, and inhibitory activity of L-carnitine.Results. In whole blood samples of the patients after myocardial infarction there was spontaneous chemiluminescence registered, that witness on the pre-activated (primed) phagocytes presence in blood. The response to addition of PMA (1mcM), after latent time period (96±15 s), was as the significant increase of active oxygen species formation. L-carnitine (3 mM), added after PMA, decreased the amplitude of maximum response to PMA by 18±3%. L-carnitine (30 mM) seriously suppressed the spontaneous formation of oxygen species formation. At the background of L-carnitine action (30 mM) with addition of PMA (1 mcM) there was increase of latent time by 1,9 times, and decrease of oxygen reactive species generation with the decrease of amplitude of maximum response on this agent, by 2,3 times.Conclusion. L-carnitine does decrease spontaneous and induced by PMA reactive oxygen species production by pre-activated (primed) phagocytes of blood of post infarction cardiosclerosis patients. This data points on antioxidant activity of higher L-carnitine concentrations and on its ability to decrease systemic oxydative stress in dose-dependent manner for the studied kind of patients.