Propionyl-L-carnitine therapy: effects on endothelin-1 and homocysteine levels in patients with peripheral arterial disease and end-stage renal disease

What Was Tested

Researchers studied L-Carnitine and Endothelin-1 in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Recent data have addressed the issue of higher levels of homocysteine (Hcy) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that may be considered an independent predictor for cardiovascular disease.

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with ESRD has been reported to be relevant, highlighting its clinical importance.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the L-Carnitine group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on L-Carnitine, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with L-Carnitine could be set against what happens without it.

The ABI and plasma levels of ET-1 and Hcy were measured at baseline, 6 and 12 months.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Ankle, Branchial Region, Carnitine, Endothelin-1, Homocysteine, Kidney Failure, Chronic and Peripheral Vascular Diseases.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of L-Carnitine and Endothelin-1.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 3 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2006 (Kidney & blood pressure research), a journal based in Switzerland.

More context: the L-Carnitine compound page and the Endothelin-1 compound page, all human trials.