The effects of additional L-carnitine supplement on plasma free carnitine in preterm infants and its clinical significance / 实用医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the changes of plasma free carnitine (FC) concentrations in preterm infants supplemented with L-carnitine, and to provide a reference for routine preterm infants L-carnitine supplements. Methods A total of 99 preterm infants supplemented with 10 mg/(kg·d) L-carnitine on days 2 and 5 after birth, and 65 full term infants from Department of Neonatology, the Fifth People′s Hospital of Dongguan during July 2014 to December 2015 were recruited in this study , and filter-paper blood spots were collected by heel prick on days 1, 3 and 7. FC was measured using electron spray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). Results Concentrations of FC decreased steadily from day 1 to day 7 in full term infants , while it remained the same level during the first week after birth as at birth. Additionally, concentrations of FC were significantly higher in preterm infants than full term infants on day 1 after birth. Conclusions The reasonable L-carnitine supplements may keep the levels of plasma FC at the levels at birth , which is important for fatty acid metabolism in preterm infants.