Acetyl-L-carnitine protects adipose-derived stem cells exposed to H2O2 through regulating AMBRA1-related autophagy

The cell activity of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) is affected by the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the level of autophagy. Previous studies reveal that acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) possesses capacities of resisting oxidative stress and regulating autophagy. Activating molecule in Beclin1-regulated autophagy protein 1 (AMBRA1) plays a key role in initiating Beclin1-regulated autophagy. In the present study, we discovered ALC pretreatment (1 mM, 24 h) significantly increased the activity of ADSCs exposed to H2O2 (100 μM, 2 h) in vitro with improved stemness, and reduced the production of intracellular ROS. In addition, we found for the first time that ALC treatment up-regulated autophagy of ADSCs through strengthening the expressions of Beclin1 and AMBRA1 synchronously, which might be involved in the protective effect of ALC.