[Prevention of ischemic myocardial damage by reducing the intracellular free carnitine level]

3-(2, 2, 2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate (THP) inhibits gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase, which is accompanied by a drop in myocardial free carnitin content. In rabbits, 200 mg/kg THP, administered intraperitoneally for 10 days, decreases free carnitin and long-chain acylcarnitin by 59.8 and 59.2%, respectively. In a carnitin-depressing dose, THP helps to recover contractility of isolated atria after hypoxic exposure. THP prevents isoproterenol-induced accumulation of long-chain acylcarnitin and ATR fall in the rat myocardium. The protective effect of THP is realized in the presence of considerably reduced (by an average of 77.8%) myocardial free carnitin levels. Inhibition of carnitin-dependent fatty acids metabolism by reducing intracellular carnitin concentration is a pathogenetically justified method of myocardial protection against ischemic damage.