Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Jan 12:6:19188.
doi: 10.1038/srep19188.

Impact of L-carnitine on plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Maria-Corina Serban  1   2 , Amirhossein Sahebkar  3   4 , Dimitri P Mikhailidis  5 , Peter P Toth  6   7 , Steven R Jones  7 , Paul Muntner  1 , Michael J Blaha  7 , Florina Andrica  8 , Seth S Martin  7 , Claudia Borza  2 , Gregory Y H Lip  9 , Kausik K Ray  10 , Jacek Rysz  11 , Stanley L Hazen  12 , Maciej Banach  11
Affiliations
Review

Impact of L-carnitine on plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Maria-Corina Serban et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

We aimed to assess the impact of L-carnitine on plasma Lp(a) concentrations through systematic review and meta-analysis of available RCTs. The literature search included selected databases up to 31(st) January 2015. Meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effects or random-effect model according to I(2) statistic. Effect sizes were expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The meta-analysis showed a significant reduction of Lp(a) levels following L-carnitine supplementation (WMD: -8.82 mg/dL, 95% CI: -10.09, -7.55, p < 0.001). When the studies were categorized according to the route of administration, a significant reduction in plasma Lp(a) concentration was observed with oral (WMD: -9.00 mg/dL, 95% CI: -10.29, -7.72, p < 0.001) but not intravenous L-carnitine (WMD: -2.91 mg/dL, 95% CI: -10.22, 4.41, p = 0.436). The results of the meta-regression analysis showed that the pooled estimate is independent of L-carnitine dose (slope: -0.30; 95% CI: -4.19, 3.59; p = 0.878) and duration of therapy (slope: 0.18; 95% CI: -0.22, 0.59; p = 0.374). In conclusion, the meta-analysis suggests a significant Lp(a) lowering by oral L-carnitine supplementation. Taking into account the limited number of available Lp(a)-_targeted drugs, L-carnitine might be an effective alternative to effectively reduce Lp(a). Prospective outcome trials will be required to fully elucidate the clinical value and safety of oral L-carnitine supplementation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow chart of the number of studies identified and included into the meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Forest plot detailing weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals for the impact of L-carnitine on plasma Lp(a) concentrations.
Lower plot shows leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Forest plot detailing weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals for the impact of oral L-carnitine on plasma L(a) concentrations.
Lower plot shows leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Forest plot detailing weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals for the impact of intravenous L-carnitine on plasma Lp (a) concentrations.
Lower plot shows leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Forest plot detailing weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals for the impact of L-carnitine on plasma lipids.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Meta-regression plots of the association between mean changes in plasma Lp(a) concentrations after L-carnitine treatment with dose and duration of treatment.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Funnel plot detailing publication bias in the studies reporting the impact of L-carnitine on plasma Lp(a) concentrations.
Open diamond represents observed effect size; closed diamond represents imputed effect size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Marcovina S. M., Koschinsky M. L., Albers J. J. & Skarlatos S. Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop on Lipoprotein (a) and Cardiovascular Disease: recent advances and future directions. Clinical chemistry 49, 1785–1796 (2003). - PubMed
    1. Ramasamy I. Recent advances in physiological lipoprotein metabolism. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) 52, 1695–1727 (2014). - PubMed
    1. Clarke R. et al. Genetic variants associated with Lp (a) lipoprotein level and coronary disease. New England Journal of Medicine 361, 2518–2528 (2009). - PubMed
    1. Berglund L. & Ramakrishnan R. Lipoprotein (a) an elusive cardiovascular risk factor. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 24, 2219–2226 (2004). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lippi G. & Guidi G. Biochemical risk factors and patient’s outcome: the case of lipoprotein (a). Clinica chimica acta 280, 59–71 (1999). - PubMed
  NODES
admin 1
Association 4
INTERN 1
twitter 2