What is Amino Acid Carnitines

In this health video you will learn what amino acid carnitines do when they are made inside your body.

Tom Audette: Ken, in the last few years Sigma-Tau has been in the forefront of developing some new L-carnitine molecules. You refer to them as amino carnitines. Could you tell us a little bit about that? And particularly the one that is called Acetyl L-Carnitine Arginine. Dr. Ken Hassen: Sure. Actually for those that are interested in getting more information immediately, they can go to the websites devoted to the, www.aminocarnitines.com and www.modernarteries.com. But essentially this is the next stage of carnitine development. I mean this is a renovation of the molecule. What we found is, is that carnitine itself is manufactured from amino acids such as lysine and methionine. Part of our research has been devoted to experimenting with carnitine actually bonded molecularly to certain amino acids. And the concept would be that…to mix them together would seem to be beneficial, but there’s no way of assuring that there would be a uniform mix when it goes from the drum, into the capsule, into the tablet, into the bottle, into the person. So what we did was we molecularly bonded carnitine with specific amino acids based on what the literature shows might prove to be beneficial from a metabolic standpoint. We call these groups the amino carnitines because they’re carnitines that are structurally bonded to amino acids. The benefit is that each molecule of any of the amino carnitines gives a specific amount of amino acid as well as a specific amount of a particular form of carnitine, which allows for regeneration carnitine to occur and also to get that effect, kind of like uniform metering. The principle ones are carnitine arginate or ArginoCarn. It’s a mix of acetyl L-carnitine and arginine. Now arginine has been shown to have properties that support nerve function. Also, in male sexual health arginine is very important and acetyl L-carnitine too is important in nerve functioning and male sexual health, so there’s a very strong component there. We have some research interventions that are undergoing now that are looking at ArginoCarn for how insulin uptake is affected from a dietary standpoint. Another intervention that we’re getting underway for nerve function, for carpel tunnel syndrome. Not as a treatment, but just as a dietary assist to see if there’s any effect from a dietary standpoint. Tom Audette: As you were talking specifically about the amino carnitine, that is the acetyl L-carnitine arginate. I think it’s important that you mentioned earlier that this is a new molecule, that you’re not just mixing these two things together, but in fact you’ve created a new molecule in the process of doing this. Dr. Ken Hassen: Exactly right. One of the challenges of getting vitamins into the capsule or tablet is to make sure that you have good mixing in-between. In other words, if you have two separate ingredients it’s possible to get them into the tablet so that each tablet has the same exact amount. But it’s much more predictable, much more simpler if you have a bonded molecule. So what we’ve actually done is bonded the amino acid to the carnitine. This allows us not only to assure that there is a more stricter metering of the product as it enters the biochemical pathways, but it also allows for us to plan our research protocols more effectively because we know that we don’t have to deal with problems where there isn’t a right, adequate mix…that the mix is off or anything…that there is content uniformity in the product, which allows for more stricter adherence to research protocols. It’s been very exciting and now we’re into our fourth year and now it’s slowly taking over the category for acetyl carnitine. ArginoCarn is becoming the next version of acetyl carnitine of choice in the marketplace. Tom Audette: Sigma-Tau holds patents on the process? Dr. Ken Hassen: Yes, we have patents on it that…the product is…and this is important because we need to assure that we have GMPs. The product, especially when it was new…it’s no longer new…they’ve been out now four years, but that we have a very strict process for pharmaceutical quality batch production and that it’s very important that we maintain those standards. Tom Audette: Okay, thank you Ken.