Cukurova Medical Journal, cilt.45, sa.2, ss.541-546, 2020 (ESCI)
Purpose: In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the
effects of L-carnitine after carbontetrachloride (CCl4)
toxicity through nephrin and Hypoxia inducible factor-1
alpha (HIF-1α) expressions in the glomerular structure.
Materials and Methods: Forty male Sprague dawley rats
were divided into 5 groups with animals in each group.
Group I: Control group; 0.2 ml olive oil intraperitoneal (ip)
twice weekly, Group II: L-carnitine group; 200 mg/kg Lcarnitine (ip) twice a week, Group III: CCl4 group; 0.2 ml
CCl4 (ip) twice a week for 6 weeks, Group IV: L-carnitine
+ CCl4 group, 200 mg/kg ip L-carnitine 24 hours before
CCl4 twice a week, Group V: CCl4 + L-carnitine group;
200 mg/kg L-carnitine half an hour after CCl4 twice a
week. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on
kidney tissue sections to show nephrin and HIF-1α
expression. Expression densities of the proteins were
measured by ImageJ program.
Results: Nephrin expression was significantly increased in
Group III compared to other groups. There was a
significant increase in HIF-1α expression only between
Group I and Group III. Expression densities of proteins
in L-carnitine-treated groups were similar to control.
Conclusion: L-carnitine has both protective and
therapeutic effects against CCl4 toxicity in renal glomeruli.