What is the Difference Between L Carnitine and Acetyl L Carnitine

The key difference between L carnitine and acetyl L carnitine is that L carnitine is less easily absorbed from the gut and cannot easily cross the blood-brain barrier, whereas acetyl L carnitine is more easily absorbed from the gut and readily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

L carnitine and acetyl L carnitine are important organic compounds that we come across during the metabolic processes inside our body.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is L Carnitine
3. What is Acetyl L Carnitine
4. L Carnitine vs Acetyl L Carnitine in Tabular Form
5. Summary – L Carnitine vs Acetyl L Carnitine

What is L Carnitine?

Carnitine is an organic compound having the chemical formula C₇H₁₅NO₃. It has a molar mass of 161.2 g/mol. L carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound involved in the metabolism process of many mammals, plants, and some bacteria. This substance is supportive of energy metabolism. It transports long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria, where these fatty acids get oxidized for the production of energy. It also precipitates while removing products of metabolism from cells.

When considering the key metabolic roles of L carnitine, it is concentrated in tissues such as skeletal and cardiac muscle that can metabolize fatty acids as an energy source. Typically, healthy people, including strict vegetarians, can synthesize sufficient amounts of L carnitine in vivo, so they need no supplementation. The excretion of this substance occurs through urine. The bioavailability of L carnitine is about 10%, while its protein binding ability is zero.

L carnitine is a derivative of the amino acid lysine. This compound was first isolated from meat, which led to the Latin name “carnus” (means meat) in 1905. The only biologically active form of carnitine is the L isomer. Therefore, when we refer to carnitine, that means we are describing L carnitine. It is a highly hygroscopic substance that occurs in the solid state. It appears as a white, crystalline, hygroscopic powder. The melting point of this compound is about 198 degrees Celsius. It is readily soluble in water and hot alcohol. But practically, it is insoluble in acetone, ether, and benzene.

What is Acetyl L Carnitine?

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a derivative of L-carnitine that forms inside the body. Collectively, acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine can help to turn fat into energy in the body. Moreover, acetyl-L-carnitine is useful for many body processes. Generally, L-carnitine is produced in the brain, liver, and kidneys. This L-carnitine then gets converted into acetyl-L-carnitine and vice versa. Acetyl L carnitine has the chemical formula C₉H₁₇NO₄. The molar mass of this compound is about 203.23 g/mol.

Sometimes, acetyl-L-carnitine is helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease, improving memory and thinking skills, treating symptoms of depression, and reducing nerve pain in people having diabetes. Moreover, this is useful in many other conditions; however, there is a lack of scientific evidence for these applications and their success.

Furthermore, acetyl-L-carnitine is safe for many people, but there can be some side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, headache, and restlessness. Moreover, this substance can cause a fishy odor in urine, breath, and sweat.

What is the Difference Between L Carnitine and Acetyl L Carnitine?

The key difference between L carnitine and acetyl L carnitine is that L carnitine is less easily absorbed from the gut and finds it difficult to cross the blood-brain barrier, whereas acetyl L carnitine is more easily absorbed from the gut and readily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

The below infographic presents the differences between L carnitine and acetyl L carnitine in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – L Carnitine vs Acetyl L Carnitine

Carnitine is an organic compound having the chemical formula C₇H₁₅NO₃ while acetyl-L-carnitine is a derivative of L-carnitine that forms inside the body. The key difference between L carnitine and acetyl L carnitine is that L carnitine is less easily absorbed from the gut and faces difficulty in crossing the blood-brain barrier, whereas acetyl L carnitine is more easily absorbed from the gut and readily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Reference:

1. “Levocarnitine.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Carnitine” By Ed (Edgar181) – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Acetylcarnitine” By Ed (Edgar181) – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia