Application

L-Carnitine Assay Kit has been used to determine the concentration of carnitine in serum samples.

General description

Carnitine is a metabolite that is synthesized from lysine and methionine. Carnitine is essential for fatty acid β-oxidation due to its role in fatty acid transport into the mitochondrial matrix via the carnitine/acylcarnitine shuttle. Carnitine exists in two stereoisomers but only the L-carnitine isomer is biologically active. Tissue levels of L-carnitine decrease with aging and decreased L-carnitine may contribute to age-related mitochondrial decline. The L-Carnitine Assay Kit is a simple convenient means of measuring free L-Carnitine in biological samples such as serum.

Principle

L-carnitine concentration is determined by a coupled enzyme assay, which results in a colorimetric (570 nm)/ fluorometric (λex = 535/λem = 587 nm) product, proportional to the L-carnitine present. Typical sensitivities of detection for this kit are 10 µM (colorimetric) and 1 µM (fluorometric). The normal range for serum L-Carnitine is between 10-70 µM.

Suitability

Suitable for the measurement of free L-Carnitine in biological samples such as tissue, cells and serum