[Special aspects of carnitine in the neonatal period]

In view of the importance of L-Carnitine in neonatal metabolism, a study of 100 newborns aged between 33 and 40 weeks of gestation was carried out to determine the normal levels of total carnitine (CT), free carnitine (CL) and carnitine bound to acyl groups (AC), and to investigate any possible relationship between the above fractions and gestational age, type of nutrition and neonatal asphyxia. Suitable diets enriched with L-Carnitine, at a concentration of 1.04 mg/100 ml, included the administration of increasing amounts of milk formulas every 3rd hour, for a total of 7 times/day during the first week of life. Parenteral nutrition was given through an infusion pump during the early 48 hours of life; thereafter, the newborns were fed milk formulas enriched with L-Carnitine. It was observed that CT, CL and AC levels were significantly higher in newborns aged between 33 and 36 weeks of gestation than in older newborns. Nutrition with milk formulas enriched with L-Carnitine induced higher CT, CL and AC levels during the first week of life than on the first day of life. This increase is greater in newborns of more than 36 weeks of gestational age, with a significant difference from newborns of lower gestational age. Asphyxiated newborns showed a significantly higher CL concentration than non-asphyxiated newborns, while their AC values were lower than those found in control groups. In the post-natal period, the administration of milk formulas enriched with L-Carnitine is certainly beneficial for those metabolic processes in which L-Carnitine is involved.