effect of L - carnitine on acute myocardial infarction in albino rats

Recently, there is increased interest in the use of over-the-counter supplements and naturally occurring nutriceuticals for enhancement of cardiac and skeletal muscle performance. These include amino acids such as creatine, L-carnitine, and L-arginine, as well as vitamins and cofactors such as alpha-tocopherol and coenzyme Q. The present work was designed to study the effect of L-carnitine on acute myocardial infarction in anaesthetized male albino rats. The animals were divided into three groups. In the 1[st] group, the animals were injected with normal saline and served as control. In the 2[nd] group, the animals were injected with isoprenaline [300 mg/kg, S.C. as single dose] to induce acute myocardial infarction [AMI]. In the 3[rd] group the animals were pretreated with L-carnitine in a single daily dose of [500 mg/kg], orally for three successive days with the 3[rd] dose given one hour before isoprenaline injection. The studied parameters were heart rate, T -wave voltage,serum level of total creatine kinase [CK], and its isoenzyme CK-MB, and the size of infarction. The results of the present study demonstrated that isoprenaline induced AMI as proved by significant increase in all studied parameters compared with control group with infarction size around 65%. L-carnitine produced significant decrease in all studied parameters in comparison to isoprenaline. It is concluded that pretreatment with L-carnitine is effective in reducing the myocardial damage. Thus, L-carnitine has myocardial protective effect in case of AMI as proved by the results of the present study

Effect of isovoleamic haemodilution with hydroxyethyl starch and albumin on thrombus formation in artificial aortic grafts

Fluid resuscitation aims to maintain intravenous volume without significant effects on hemostasis. Several types of intravenous fluid are available for use in a patient who has suffered trauma, but there is evidence that some resuscitation fluids may affect primary hemostasis. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of isovolaemic haemodilution with hydroxyethyl starch [HES] and albumin 5% on thrombus formation in artificial arterial grafts. Twenty rabbits were included, the animals were subdivided into three groups as follows: group 1 [6 rabbits] received isovolaemic haemodilution with HES [10 ml /kg], group 2 [7 rabbits] received haemodilution with albumin 5% [10 ml / kg] and group 3 [7 rabbits] non-haemodiluted controls. A polytetrafluoroethylene graft [PTFE length 13mm, inner diameter 3mm] was inserted into the abdominal aorta of the rabbits. After 2 days the vessel grafts were removed and weighed. The thrombus masses were scraped from the inner surfaces and weighed separately. The studied parameters were the aortic blood flow and the amount of thrombus formation. The results showed that the blood flow increased by about 70% and 60% after haemodilution with HES and albumin, respectively, and remained high in the haemodiluted animals after insertion of the graft. Also, the amount of thrombus formation in the inner wall of the graft was reduced by haemodilution with HES. In conclusion, isovolaemic haemodilution with both HES and albumin increased blood flow in the rabbit, while haemodilution with HES also reduced the amount of thrombus formation