Effect of prolonged treatment with propionyl-L-carnitine on erucic acid-induced myocardial dysfunction in rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of propionyl-L-carnitine to prevent cardiac damage induced by erucic acid. Rats were fed for 10 days with normal or 10% erucic acid—enriched diets with or without propionyl-L-carnitine intraperitoneally injected, (1 mM/kg daily, for 10 days). The erucic acid diet produced increases in triglycerides (from 5.6 to 12.4 mg/gww, P < 0.01), and free fatty acids (from 2.0 to 5.1 mg/gww, P < 0.01), but no changes in phospholipids. When the hearts were perfused aerobically with an isovolumic preparation there was no difference in mechanical activity. On the contrary, when pressure-volume curves were determined, the pressure developed by hearts from the erucic acid-treated rats were reduced.