Abstract
Carnitine plays a critical role in lipid metabolism. Carnitine deficiency may adversely affect the oxidation of fatty acids and further aggravate abnormal lipid metabolism. Its presence is considerable in tissues that utilise fatty acids as an important source of energy, such as the heart and skeletal muscle. The presence of total (TC), free (FC), short-chain acyl (SC) and long-chain acyl (LC) carnitine was shown for the first time in one-humped Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) erythrocytes. The results showed that concentrations of FC. AC, SC and TC in camel erythrocytes were significantly higher when compared with bovine. rabbit, rat and humans; however, these carnitine fractions were not significantly different when compared with sheep. Moreover, the concentration of LC in camel erythrocytes was significantly higher when compared with rabbit, rat and humans, but there was no significant difference compared with either sheep or bovine. The results showed that there were significant variations in the ratio of acyl carnitine (AC) to FC among the species erythrocytes studied. The ratio in camel erythrocytes was significantly higher when compared with rat, but there was no significant difference in this ratio in camel erythrocytes when compared with bovine, rabbit, sheep and humans. The higher carnitine concentrations and a higher proportion of AC in erythrocytes of the Arabian camel suggest an adaptive mechanism that could be common to desert animal species.