Elham Yaghubi¹, Maryam Daneshpazhooh², Mahmoud Djalali¹, Zahra Fakhri¹, Farnaz Sepandar¹, Hamed Mohammadi³, SeyedAli Keshavarz³, Mahnaz Zarei¹ and Mohammad Hassan Javanbakht¹*

¹Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
²Autoimmune Bullous Diseases Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
³Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

*Corresponding Author: Mohammad Hassan Javanbakht, MD, Ph.D., Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.

Received: December 29, 2021; Published: January 31, 2022

Abstract

Background and Objective: Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune disease with a high oxidative stress level. L- Carnitine (LC) has been shown to have antioxidative effects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LC on serum markers of oxidative stress among PV patients.

Method and Material: In this clinical trial, 46 PV patients were randomly assigned to the placebo (n = 23) or LC (n = 23) groups and received either 2000 mg/day of LC or placebo tablets for eight weeks. Serum level of LC, Nitric Oxide (NO) and Glutathione (GSH), and erythrocyte level of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), and Glutathione Reductase (GR) were measured before and after the intervention, along with anthropometric and dietary indices. The data were analyzed using the paired t-test, independent-sample t-test, and Chi‑square.

Results: No significant differences regarding anthropometric, dietary, and biochemical variables existed between the two groups at baseline (P > 0.05). Patients in the LC group had significantly increased serum LC levels (P < 0.001) at the end of the trial. Serum level of GSH (mean change: 1.45 ± 0.93 ng/mL, P = 0.02), NO (61.40 ± 13.12 µmoL/L, P = 0.01), and erythrocyte GPx (1.19 ± 0.82 U/gHb, P = 0.04) were significantly increased in the LC group. There were no significant differences within or between the two groups regarding GR's erythrocyte activity (P = 0.32) and SOD (P = 0.42) after the intervention.

Conclusion: This study showed that L-carnitine might have beneficial effects on oxidative stress in PV patients.

Keywords: Pemphigus; Autoimmune Disease; L-carnitine; Antioxidant; Oxidative Stress

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Citation

Citation: Mohammad Hassan Javanbakht., et al. “The Effect of L-Carnitine on Oxidative Stress in Patients with Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial". Acta Scientific Microbiology 5.2 (2022): 120-127.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Mohammad Hassan Javanbakht., et al.. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.