Effect of hypoxia on pig heart short-chain acylcarnitines

The right ventricles of pig heart were perfused with hypoxic blood and the left ventricles were perfused with normally ventilated arterial blood. Free carnitine and short-chain acylcarnitines in hypoxic ventricles were lower than in perfused controls, and much lower than in non-perfused heart. Acetylcarnitine levels decreased and the branched-chain acylcarnitines and propionylcarnitine were elevated in the hypoxic perfused ventricles. These data indicate that both hypoxia and anaesthesia caused loss of carnitine and short-chain acylcarnitines from the heart and hypoxia also changed the distribution of short-chain acylcarnitines in the heart.