In eukaryotes, L-carnitine is involved in energy metabolism by facilitating beta-oxidation of fatty acids. Carnitine acetyltransferases (CrAT) catalyze the reversible conversion of acetyl-CoA and carnitine to acetylcarnitine and free CoA. To redesign the specificity of rat CrAT toward its substrates, we mutated Met564. The M564G mutated CrAT showed higher activity toward longer chain acyl-CoAs:...

Two methods for the cytochemical detection of free CoA and their utilization in the finestructural localization of carnitine acetyltransferase in rat heart are described. The first utilizes the reducing property of the SH group of CoA to reduce potassium ferricyanide to potassium ferrocyanide, which in the presence of uranyl ions forms an electron-dense precipitate of uranyl ferrocyanide. The s...

The role of antioxidants in preventing apoptosis and viral activation in HIV is well documented. N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, and alpha-lipoic acid have been shown to interrupt the process of viral activation and CD4 cell death. L-glutamine has been shown to improve glutathione levels and significantly increase lean body mass in HIV infection. The literature on the use of L-carnitine and acet...

Dear Editor, The use of hyperpolarized C magnetic resonance to study intermediary metabolism is increasing rapidly, since it allows in vivo noninvasive investigation of dynamic metabolic and physiological processes that were previously experimentally inaccessible. A recent study published in the Journal by Koellish and colleagues used the technique to address the fate of hyperpolarized Clabeled...

Nutritional interventions have shown varied efficacy on cognitive performance during Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty-four individuals diagnosed with AD received a nutraceutical formulation (NF: folate, alpha-tocopherol, B12, S-adenosyl methioinine, N-acetyl cysteine, acetyl-L-carnitine) under open-label conditions (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01320527). Primary outcome was cognitive performance. Sec...

Thirty-four individuals with mild cognitive impairment were randomized for 6 months to a nutraceutical formulation (NF: folate, alpha-tocopherol, B12, S-adenosyl methioinine, N-acetyl cysteine, acetyl-L-carnitine) or indistinguishable placebo, followed by a 6-month open-label extension in which all individuals received NF. The NF cohort improved in the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS; effect size >0...