Effects of Acetyl-l-Carnitine on the Mitophagy in the Spinal Cord Injury Progression Through PINK/Parkin Pathway

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious disease of the nervous system. Acetyl-l-carnitine-carnitine (ALC) is an acetylated product of l-carnitine, and exerts neuroprotection. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acetyl-l-carnitineALC) on mitophagy in rats with SCI and in PC12 cells injured by H₂O₂. By establishing SCI in vivo and in vitro, the levels of oxidative stress and mitophagy related factors were detected after ALC treatment. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay, apoptosis was detected by TUNEL and flow cytometry. The mitochondria of PC12 cells after injury were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The activation of mitophagy related pathway PINK1/Parkin in ALC treated cells was detected. The results showed that ALC can protect neuronal cells in vivo and in vitro by promoting the normal growth of neuronal cells while inhibiting oxidative stress and promoting mitophagy. In addition, ALC can promote mitophagy by activating the PINK1/Parkin pathway and play a neuroprotective role. This study preliminarily demonstrated that the mechanism of action of ALC against SCI may be related to promotion of mitophagy.