Carnitine supplementation improves depressive mode in uremic men with hemodialysis

• Project/Area Number: 26860487
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: Kurume University
• Principal Investigator: Sakai Kazuko 久留米大学, 医学部, 助教 (90597387)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
• Keywords: 血液透析 / LOH症候群 / カルニチン / うつ病 / 透析 / 加齢男性更年期症候群 / アルツハイマー型認知症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Depression contributes to decrease in quality of life in male hemodialysis (HD) patients. We have recently reported that carnitine deficiency is associated with degree of depression in male HD patients. Therefore, we examined whether carnitine supplementation improved depressive mode in these patients. Sixteen male and ten female HD patients were enrolled in this study. We examined whether depression mode was improved by administration of L-carnitine by PO (900mg/day) or IV . Status of depression was evaluated by questionnaires using self-rating depression scale (SDS).Levels of all the carnitine fractions were significantly increased by L-carnitine supplementation in HD patients. SDS was significantly improved by L-carnitine administration for 3 month in male HD patients.The observations suggest that L-carnitine therapy improved depression mode, thus supporting the clinical utility of administration of L-carnitine for the treatment of male patients on HD.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Oral L-carnitine supplementation increases trimethylamine-N-oxide, but reduces markers of vascular injury in hemodialysis patients. (2015)
  • Author(s): Fukami K, Yamagishi S, Sakai K, Kaida Y, Yokoro M, Ueda S, Wada Y, Takeuchi M, Shimizu M, Yamazaki H, Okuda S.
  • Journal Title: J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. Volume: 65. Issue: 3 Pages: 289-295
  • DOI: 10.1097/fjc.0000000000000197
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Effects of switching from oral administration to intravenous injection of L-carnitine on lipid metabolism in hemodialysis patients (2014)
  • Author(s): Fukami K, Yamagishi S, Sakai K, Nasu M, Okuda S
  • Journal Title: Clin Kidney J Volume: 7 Issue: 5 Pages: 470-474
  • DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfu082
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] 血液透析患者における抑うつに対するL-カルニチン補充療法の効果 (2016)
  • Author(s): 黒川佑佳
  • Organizer: 平成28年度日本透析学会
  • Place of Presentation: 大阪国際会議場
  • Year and Date: 2016-06-09
• [Presentation] 血液透析患者における抑うつに対するL-カルニチン補充療法の効果 (2016)
  • Author(s): 矢野淳子
  • Organizer: 平成28年度第8回福岡県医学会総会
  • Place of Presentation: 福岡県医師会
  • Year and Date: 2016-02-07