STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF THEOPHYLLINE-RELATED CHANGES IN TOTAL, FREE, SHORT-CHAIN ACYL AND LONG-CHAIN ACYL CARNITINE CONCENTRATIONS IN RAT-HEART

This study is conducted to investigate the effect of oral theophylline administration on total (TC), free (FC), short-(SC), long-chain acyl (LC), acyl (AC) carnitine concentrations and acyl to free carnitine (A C/FC) ratio in rat heart. Theophylline was administrated at 100 mg/kg wt/day, and effects were monitored after a treatment period that laste d between a week and five weeks. The results indicated that theophylli ne feeding leads to significantly higher concentrations of TC, FC, SC, LC and AC in heart tissue as compared to those of control and placebo groups (P < 0.001). Moreover, the ratio of AC/FC was significantly in creased (P < 0.001) as compared to either control or placebo groups. T hese changes may result from theophylline-enhanced mobilization of lip ids from adipose tissues, which consequently stimulates an increased c arnitine transport into the heart tissues to form fatty acylcarnitines for subsequent beta-oxidation inside the heart mitochondria. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.