Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 400-406, 2003
© 2003 Medical Council on Alcohol
L-CARNITINE ALLEVIATES ALCOHOL-INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE IN RATS: ROLE OF TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA
National Public Health Institute, Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, Helsinki, Finland
(Received 21 February 2003; first review notified 11 April 2003; in revised form 12 May 2003; accepted 2 June 2003)
Aims: Excessive alcohol intake induces hepatic fatty infiltration, which has been suggested to sensitize the liver to further damage. To test this hypothesis, L-carnitine, a constitutional lipotropic compound, was administered to rats chronically treated with ethanol by liquid diet feeding for 10 weeks. Results: Ethanol administration caused marked steatosis, mild inflammation and elevated plasma alanine aminotransferase and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
) concentrations. Dietary supplementation with L-carnitine significantly reduced all these parameters as well as the hepatic concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, an indicator of lipid peroxidation products. Pretreatment with L-carnitine also significantly blunted ethanol-induced stimulation of TNF- release by isolated Kupffer cells. Conclusions: This study provides direct support for the notion that steatosis sensitizes the liver to further damage and suggests an involvement of TNF- in this process.
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