Abstract
Animal model (male Wistar rats) was used to determine the benefits from using L-carnitine to protect patients suffering from gentamicin nephrotoxicity. Twenty 200-300 g male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups, gentamicin treated group, L-carnitine treated group, L-carnitine + gentamicin group, and control group. Gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats was detected in the gentamicin treated group, as it has significant changes in the urea, plasma creatinine, and zinc in serum and renal tissues. L-carnitine restored the zinc status and renal function amelioration. Gentamicin treated group has zinc blood concentration of 115 mu g/dL, and 14.6 mu g/dL in the renal tissue, while the blood-zinc concentration in the gentamicin + L-carnitine treated group is 129 mu g/dL, and 17.89 mu g/dL in the renal tissue. It seems that L-carnitine has a scavenging activity against peroxy radical through the retrieve of zinc status implication.