Technetium-99m sestamibi leg scintigraphy for non-invasive assessment of propionyl- l -carnitine induced changes in skeletal muscle metabolism

Technetium-99m sestamibi retention in skeletal muscles, a potential indicator of mitochondrial function and anaerobic threshold in patients with type 2 diabetes

“…99m Tc-MIBI imaging is now accepted as an indicator of radiopharmaceutical accumulation in mitochondria [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . However, there is no generally accepted standardized method for measuring mitochondrial function.…”

“…In animal models, the calcium-induced release of 99m Tc-MIBI from the mitochondrial fraction collected from hepatic, pulmonary, renal, and skeletal muscle tissues was similar to that observed in the heart. The assessment of mitochondrial function using 99m Tc-MIBI imaging has also been applied to both animal and human skeletal muscles [9][10][11][12] . However, data on the accumulation of 99m…”

Propionyl-<i>L</i>-Carnitine Therapy: Effects on Endothelin-1 and Homocysteine Levels in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease

“…All of these are involved in atherothrombotic disease, and also in chronic renal failure where this peptide plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of CVD, complications in renal failure and in hemodialyzed patients [18,19] . Therapy with PLC is justified by its capacity to intervene in specific biochemical pathways in order to allow the recovery of efficient cellular respiration, in addition to reducing the damaging effects of free radicals produced by the hydrolysis of O 2 [26,27]. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that L -carnitine ameliorates oxidative damage via its antioxidant properties, free radical scavenging [40] , and via its capacity to antagonize the suppression of the activity of antioxidant enzymes [41] .…”

“…In patients with PAD, it has been amply demonstrated that local hemodynamic perturbations determine a reduced hematic flow with respect to muscular requirements, leading to a reduction in oxygenation of smooth muscle and reduced muscular levels of carnitine [27] . Consequently, significant alterations in cellular respiration occurs that leads to a reduction in the capacity of the muscle to work in anaerobic conditions [24] .…”

“…L -Carnitine and its derivatives have received much attention for their potential utility as therapeutic interventions in PAD and CRI. Although the mechanism of action is not yet completely understood, carnitine derivatives appear to mediate the metabolism of monocytes according to studies in skeletal muscle [27] . A deficiency in muscular carnitine has been shown in patients with severe PAD [28,29] ; moreover, the carnitine derivative, propionyl-L -carnitine (PLC), has been reported to play a protective role during ischemia [30] .…”