The Regulation of Energy Metabolism
Pathways Through L-Carnitine Homeostasis
Effects of L-carnitine
L-carnitine is a conditionally essential amino acid that plays an important role in cellular
energy metabolism. In heart and skeletal muscle, L-carnitine aids the translocation of long chain FA into the mitochondria for subsequent beta-oxidation, which is a major energy
source in muscle cells. L-carnitine is absorbed from dietary products and biosynthesised
from lysine and methionine; its excretion is efficiently regulated by renal re-absorption. The
physiological range of L-carnitine concentrations in various tissues is maintained by
complex transporter systems.