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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2005; 11(42): 6671-6675
Published online Nov 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i42.6671
Plasma carnitine ester profile in adult celiac disease patients maintained on long-term gluten free diet
Judit Bene, Katalin Komlósi, Beáta Gasztonyi, Márk Juhász, Zsolt Tulassay, Béla Melegh
Judit Bene, Katalin Komlósi, Béla Melegh, Department of Medical Genetics and Child Development, School of Medicine, University of Pécs, Hungary
Judit Bene, MTA PTE Clinical Genetics Research Group of Hungarian Academy of Sciences at the University of Pécs, Hungary
Beáta Gasztonyi, 1st Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pécs, Hungary
Márk Juhász, Zsolt Tulassay, 2nd Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the grant of Hungarian Science Foundation OTKA T 35026, T 49589 and by the grant of Ministry of Health ETT 325/2003
Correspondence to: Dr. Béla Melegh, Professor of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, Department of Medical Genetics and Child Development, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pécs, Szigeti 12., Hungary. bela.melegh@aok.pte.hu
Telephone: +36-72-536-427 Fax: +36-72-536-427
Received: January 12, 2005
Revised: April 26, 2005
Accepted: April 30, 2005
Published online: November 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To determine the fasting plasma carnitine ester in patients with celiac disease.

METHODS: We determined the fasting plasma carnitine ester profile using ESI triple quadrupol mass spectrometry in 33 adult patients with biopsy-confirmed maturity onset celiac disease maintained on long term gluten free diet.

RESULTS: The level of free carnitine did not differ as the celiac disease patients were compared with the healthy controls, whereas the acetylcarnitine level was markedly reduced (4.703 ± 0.205 vs 10.227 ± 0.368 nmol/mL, P<0.01). The level of propionylcarnitine was 61.5%, butyrylcarnitine 56.9%, hexanoylcarnitine 75%, octanoylcarnitine 71.1%, octenoylcarnitine 52.1%, decanoylcarnitine 73.1%, cecenoylcarnitine 58.3%, lauroylcarnitine 61.5%, miristoylcarnitine 66.7%, miristoleylcarnitine 62.5% and oleylcarnitine 81.1% in the celiac disease patients compared to the control values, respectively (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION: The marked decrease of circulating acetylcarnitine with 50-80 % decrease of 11 other carnitine esters shows that the carnitine ester metabolism can be influenced even in clinically asymptomatic and well being adult celiac disease patients, and gluten withdrawal alone does not necessarily normalize all elements of the disturbed carnitine homeostasis.

Keywords: Plasma carnitine ester profile, Celiac disease