The effect of l‐carnitine supplementation on serum levels of omentin‐1, visfatin and SFRP5 and glycemic indices in patients with pemphigus vulgaris: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic autoimmune disorder with potentially fatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of l‐carnitine (LC) on secreted frizzled‐related protein‐5 (SFRP5), omentin, visfatin, and glycemic indices in PV patients under corticosteroid treatment. In this randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial, 52 patients with PV were divided randomly into two groups to receive 2 g of LC or a placebo for 8 weeks. Serum levels of SFRP5, omentin, visfatin, and also glycemic indices were evaluated at the baseline and end of the study. LC supplementation significantly decreased the serum level of visfatin (95% CI [−14.718, −0.877], p = .05) and increased the serum levels of SFRP5 (95%CI [1.637, 11.380], p < .006) and omentin (95% CI [9.014, 65.286], p < .01). However, LC supplementation had no significant effects on the serum levels of glycemic factors such as insulin (95% CI [−1.125, 3.056], p = .426), fasting blood sugar (95% CI [−4.743, 3.642], p = .894), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (95% CI [−0.305, 0.528], p = .729), and quantitative insulin‐sensitivity check index (95% CI [−0.016, −0.010], p = .81). LC supplementation decreased visfatin serum level and increased omentin‐1 and SFRP5 serum levels in patients with PV. However, it has no significant effect on the serum levels of insulin and glycemic indices.

The effects of L-carnitine supplementation on glycemic markers in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

“…A total of 78 studies were excluded due to the following reasons: insufficient outcome data reported, acute oral ingestion, or short duration of supplementation (<1 week). Finally, we included a total of 41 studies ( 16 , 17 , 23 , 43 – 80 ) with 44 effect sizes included in the qualitative synthesis.…”

“…The daily dosage of L-carnitine supplementation ranged from 0.25 to 4 g/day. 39 parallel ( 17 , 23 , 43 – 68 , 70 – 80 ) and 2 cross-over ( 16 , 69 ) studies were included in this study. The mean age ranged from 18–101 years and baseline BMI of included studies ranged from 22.19 to 36 kg/m 2 in the intervention group, respectively.…”

“…The mean age ranged from 18–101 years and baseline BMI of included studies ranged from 22.19 to 36 kg/m 2 in the intervention group, respectively. Thirteen studies included only males or females ( 46 , 56 , 59 , 63 , 64 , 69 , 72 , 73 , 78 , 80 ), and 28 included both sexes ( 16 , 17 , 23 , 43 , 45 , 48 – 55 , 57 , 58 , 60 – 62 , 65 – 68 , 70 , 71 , 74 , 76 , 77 , 79 ).…”

“…Out of 41 RCTs, 39 studies have shown a significant lowering effect of L-carnitine supplementation on FBG (mg/dl) ( 16 , 17 , 23 , 43 , 45 – 69 , 71 – 80 ), 19 studies on serum insulin (pmol/l) ( 16 , 43 , 44 , 51 , 53 – 55 , 57 , 59 , 61 , 63 , 68 , 71 – 76 , 80 ), 20 studies on serum HbA1c (%) ( 16 , 17 , 23 , 45 , 48 , 49 , 53 – 55 , 57 , 58 , 61 , 63 , 66 , 67 , 71 , 74 , 77 , 79 , 80 ), and 17 studies on HOMA-IR ( 43 , 44 , 49 , 50 , 54 – 57 , 59 , 61 , 63 , 68 , 70 – 73 , 75 ).…”

“…The qualitative data based on the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool were presented in Table 2 . Eight studies had low risk of bias ( 43 , 55 – 57 , 61 , 64 , 71 , 72 ), 11 studies had moderate risk of bias ( 44 , 48 , 50 , 54 , 58 , 63 , 65 , 68 , 74 , 75 , 79 ) and 22 studies had high risk of bias ( 16 , 17 , 23 , 45 – 47 , 49 , 51 – 53 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 66 , 67 , 69 , 70 , 73 , 76 – 78 , 80 ).…”