Acetyl carnitine treatment for peripheral neuropathy

Keith Alcorn
Estimated reading time 1 minutes
This article is more than 24 years old.

Highlights from the First International Workshop on Clinical Pharmacology of HIV Therapy, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, March 30-31, 2000.

L-acetyl carnitine, a substance which transports long chain fatty acids to the mitochondria and reduces triglyceride levels, may reverse the nerve damage caused by some of the nucleoside analogue drugs such as ddC and d4T.

At the First International Workshop on Clinical Pharmacology of HIV therapy, Dr Mike Youle of the Royal Free Hospital, London, reported on four patients with grade 2-4 drug-related peripheral neuropathy who received six months of L-acetyl carnitine therapy (1500mg twice daily). Skin biopsies were taken before commencing LAC therapy, and after six months of treatment, to assess re-growth of nerve tissue. Nerve tissue in biopsies was identified by using fibre-specific antibodies and staining,

Glossary

peripheral neuropathy

Damage to the nerves of the hands and/or feet, causing symptoms ranging from numbness to excruciating pain.

neuropathy

Damage to the nerves.

biopsy

A procedure to remove a small sample of tissue so that it can be examined for signs of disease.

triglycerides

A blood fat (lipid). High levels are associated with atherosclerosis and are a risk factor for heart disease.

 

protocol

A detailed research plan that describes the aims and objectives of a clinical trial and how it will be conducted.

Significant improvements in growth of small sensory fibres and nerve fibres in sweat glands were reported (p

A randomised study of LAC as treatment for drug-related peripheral neuropathy has been in the pipeline for more than six months, but manufacturers Sigma Tau have still not finalised a protocol for the study, which is intended to enrol more than one hundred patients in several European countries in order to obtain licensing data for LAC.

References

Youle M et al. L-acetyl carnitine (LAC therapy increases cutaneous innervation and improves symptoms in antiretroviral therapy-related peripheral neuropathy. First International Workshop on Clinical Pharmacology of HIV therapy, Noordwijk, abstract 7.2, 2000.

Print