Efectos de la suplementación de carnitina sobre el nivel de fatiga muscular del gastrocnemio de ratas entrenadas y sedentarias

l-carnitine, considered to be of great value in metabolic processes, plays an important role in the mitochondrial β -oxidation process. it may be used to improve athletic performance and to maintain a higher workload during exercise. this study aimed to investigate the effect of l-carnitine supplementation on muscle fatigue in sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius muscle preparations in sedentary and trained rats. the animals were divided into 4 groups: non-supplemented sedentary (nss), supplemented sedentary (ss), non-supplemented trained (nst), and supplemented trained (st) rats. the animals were trained in daily 1-h sessions (5 days/week) and received chronic oral l-carnitine supplementation (1 mg/ml) for 4 weeks. muscle fatigue was determined by supramaximal tetanic stimulation of the sciatic nerve (50 hz). time values for strength reduction were significantly different (p< 0.05) between nss vs. ss and nst vs. st rats. no significant differences were observed between ss vs. st and nst vs. nss rats. these findings demonstrate that l-carnitine lengthen the time required for induction of muscle fatigue.