EFFECT OF 8-DAY THERAPY WITH PROPIONYL-L-CARNITINE ON MUSCULAR AND SUBCUTANEOUS BLOOD-FLOW OF THE LOWER-LIMBS IN PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL-DISEASE

The efficacy of propionyl-l-carnitine in increasing walking capacity in patients with peripheral arterial disease is primarily due to the metabolic effect of the drug, but a direct vasoactive action is also hypothesized. Muscular and subcutaneous blood flow of lower limbs were separately evaluated using the 133-Xenon washout technique in 10 patients with peripheral arterial disease of moderate degree, before and after 8-days of treatment with propionyl-l-carnitine (1 g orally b.i.d.). After treatment, muscular blood now slightly increased, from 10.7+/-13.4 to 14.1+/-14.0 ml kg(-1) min(-1). This increase was not statistically significant (T=-1.6568, P=0.136). Subcutaneous blood now was not affected by the treatment (from 26.2+/-16.9 to 26.1+/-12.5 ml kg(-1) min(-1), T=0.0141, P=0.95). In conclusion, in patients with peripheral arterial disease, short-term therapy with propionyl-l-carnitine had no clinical significant effect on muscular and subcutaneous blood flow of the lower limbs. Therefore, this study suggests that the beneficial effect of this drug on the walking capacity of patients with peripheral arterial disease is not due to a direct vasoactive action. Oral administration of propionyl-l-carnitine was found to be safe, as it did not cause any change in hepatic, renal or metabolic functional parameters.