| Serum Fatty Acid and Carnitine Levels in
Obese Children with Fatty Livers |
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Jin Bum Lee, Jae Won Lee, Young Mi Hong |
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Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea |
| 지방간이 동반된 비만아에서 혈청 지방산과 Carnitine 농도에 대한 연구 |
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이진범, 이재원, 홍영미 |
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이화대학교 의과대학 소아과학교실 |
Correspondence:
Young Mi Hong, Email: hongym@chollian.net
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| Abstract |
Purpose
: The prevalence of obese children has recently increased. Obesity is known to be associated with complications such as hypertension, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. L-carnitine is an essential cofactor for the transport of long chain fatty acids into mitochondria for β-oxidation. The purpose of this study is to measure serum free fatty acid and carnitine levels, and evaluate the role of L-carnitine as a therapeutic drug in obese children with fatty liver.
Methods
: Nine obese children, ranging from seven to 18 years of age, and 10 normal children were examined. Serum lipid(total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol) and fatty acid levels were analyzed. Serum total, free, and acyl carnitine levels were performed also by a new enzymatic cycling technique.
Results
: Long chain fatty acids(myristic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid)were significantly increased in obese children compared to the control group. Total, and acyl carnitine levels were significantly increased in obese children compared to the control group.
Conclusion
: Serum free fatty acid and carnitine levels were significantly increased in obese children with fatty liver compared to the normal control. This may suggest that L-carnitine can be used as antilipidemic agent to decrease fatty acid and lipid levels for obese children. Prospective studies will investigate serum fatty acid and carnitine levels after treatment of L-carnitine in obese children in the future. |
| Key Words:
Obesity, Fatty liver, Fatty acid, L-carnitine |
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