Propionyl-L-carnitine was identified in the drinking water in rats.
L-Propionyl carnitine has been shown to improve the heart mechanical recovery and other metabolic parameters after ischemia-reperfusion
Propionyl-L-carnitine has been used as a standard in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
ChEBI: O-propanoyl-L-carnitine is an optically active O-acylcarnitine compound having propanoyl as the acyl substituent and (R)-configuration at the 3-position. It has a role as a peripheral nervous system drug. It is an O-propanoylcarnitine and a saturated fatty acyl-L-carnitine.
Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC), a natural odd-carbon-number, endogenous ester of L-carnitine, is found to be present in humans and animals as a minor component compared to L-carnitine (LC) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC). It acts as a carrier of long chain acyl groups from activated fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane into the mitochondrial matrix where they undergo β-oxidation to acetyl CoA to obtain usable energy via the citric acid cycle.
Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) plays a key role in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. It provides substrates to the ischemic muscle for energy production and ATP generation. PLC has the potential to treat severe peripheral arterial disease and chronic heart failure. It is present in high abundance in the urine of patients with methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT) deficiency, together with methylmalonic acid. MUT is a mitochondrial enzyme that catalyzes the isomerization of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA.
