Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on inflammatory factors and malondialdehyde in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver, a chronic inflammatory disease, is accompanied by accommodation of extra fat and occurrence of oxidative stress in liver. L-carnitine with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties may have beneficial effects on NASH. This study was designed to assess the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of L-carnitine on NASH patients' conditions. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 68 patients suffering from NASH and 34 control subjects. NASH patients were randomly divided into groups of L-carnitine (receiving 2000 mg L-carnitine supplements) (n=36), placebo (n=32). Fasting blood samples were taken at study baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention to quantify inflammatory factors and malondialdehyde. L-carnitine supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) (-9.93±3.79 vs. +1.76±2.93 and +0.16±2.44 µmol/L, P=0.01) compared with placebo and control groups. Within-group comparisons revealed a significant reduction in serum high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) (P=0.02), Transforming Growth Factor-β^sub 1^ (TGF-β^sub 1^) (P=0.02), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) (P=0.004) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) (P=0.01) levels in the L-carnitine group. After adjusting for covariates, significant decreases of hs-CRP, TNF-α and MDA were found in the L-carnitine group compared to placebo and control groups. In conclusion, L-carnitine supplementation for 12 weeks among patients suffering from NASH had beneficial effects on MDA, TNF-a and hs-CRP levels; however, it did not affect TGF-B^sub 1^.