[Plasma L-carnitine levels in children with celiac disease]

Carnitine is a very important co-factor for the metabolism of fatty acids, because it is the necessary carrier for the passage of acyl groups inside the mitochondria, where beta-oxidation takes place. In the human body the total pool of carnitine is made by two fractions, one being endogenous and the second exogenous. The absorption of exogenous carnitine takes place mainly at duodenal-jejunal level by an active transport mechanism based on amino acid carrier. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured in 66 coeliac patients (mean age: 7 years and 4 months). Thirty three of them were on a free diet and the other 33 were on a gluten-free diet for at last six month. In 10 patients we studied plasma L-carnitine levels both on a free diet and on a gluten-free diet. As controls we examined 33 healthy children comparable for age. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured by a spectrophotometrical method according to Marquis and Fritz's technique and subsequently modified by Pearson and Seccombe. In the 66 coeliac patients the mean values of serum L-carnitine were significantly lower than those in the controls (p < 0.001). The levels were significantly lower in patients a free diet with respect to those on gluten-free diet (p < 0.01). The 10 subjects who were examined both on free diet and on gluten-free diet showed an increase of plasma concentrations in the latter condition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)