Carnitine effects on palmitate-1-C14 conversion to CO2 and glycerides by various tissues

Abstract

Carnitine increased oxidation of palmitate-1-C14 by rat heart and liver preparations, but decreased palmitate incorporation into glycerides. To determine which of the effects was derivative and which was primary, experiments were repeated using tissues whose rates of fatty acid oxidation had been depressed by Amytal poisoning. Under these conditions, carnitine inhibition of fatty acid conversion to glycerides was abolished. Similarly, low concentrations of carnitine were found to enhance palmitate oxidation without influencing palmitate esterification. Isolated liver microsomes which synthesized glycerides without oxidizing fatty acids showed no response to carnitine under all conditions tried. The inability of carnitine to alter glyceride formation in experiments described may signify that acyl-CoA generation from CoA and acylcarnitine is specifically directed toward the fatty acid oxidase system rather than to glyceride synthesis. It was also shown that, under conditions optimal for demonstration of carnitine augmentation of fatty acid oxidation by rat heart preparations, carnitine increased palmitate oxidation by a variety of other tissue homogenate preparations.