Description

• General description: Butyryl-L-carnitine is a naturally occurring compound belonging to the acylcarnitine class of compounds as listed in the human metabolome database (HMBD).[1][2] These compounds are reported to be used as biomarkers in the diagnosis of carnitine deficiency.[3] It acts as a carrier of long chain acyl groups from activated fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane into the mitochondrial matrix where they undergo β-oxidation to acetyl CoA to obtain usable energy via the citric acid cycle.
• Application: Butyryl-L-carnitine may be used as an analytical reference standard for the separation and identification of underivatized butyryl-L-carnitine in human plasma samples using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).[4] It may also be used as an analytical reference standard for the quantification of the analyte in biological samples[5][6] using chromatography-based techniques.