What is the Difference Between Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Propionyl-L-Carnitine

The key difference between acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine is that acetyl-L-carnitine contains an acetyl group attached to the carnitine molecule, whereas propionyl-L-carnitine contains a propionyl group attached to the carnitine molecule.

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a derivative of L-carnitine that forms inside the body. Propionyl-L-carnitine is a chemical substance derived from L-carnitine. 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.

CONTENTS

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

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 our brain, liver, and kidneys. This L-carnitine then gets converted into acetyl-L-carnitine and vice versa.

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 Propionyl-L-Carnitine?

Propionyl-L-carnitine is a chemical substance derived from L-carnitine. Therefore, it is related to L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine. This substance is important for people in relieving leg pain that comes when doing exercise due to poor blood flow, congestive heart failure, chest pain, low levels of testosterone in older men, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.

Usually, propionyl-L-carnitine is helpful in producing energy in the body. This substance is important in heart function, muscle movement, and many other processes. Moreover, it seems to help in increasing circulation.

When taken as a medication by mouth, this substance can cause some side effects such as stomach upset, vomiting, stomach pain, weakness, back pain, chest infections, and chest pain.

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

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a derivative of L-carnitine that forms inside the body. Propionyl-L-carnitine is a chemical substance derived from L-carnitine. The key difference between acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine is that acetyl-L-carnitine contains an acetyl group attached to the carnitine molecule, whereas propionyl-L-carnitine contains a propionyl group attached to the carnitine molecule.

Moreover, acetyl-L-carnitine is helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease, improving memory and thinking skills, treating symptoms of depression, and in reducing nerve pain in people having diabetes. Propionyl-L-carnitine, on the other hand, is helpful in producing energy in our body, important in heart function, muscle movement, and many other processes, helping in increasing circulation, etc.

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

Summary – Acetyl-L-Carnitine vs Propionyl-L-Carnitine

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. The key difference between acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine is that acetyl-L-carnitine contains an acetyl group attached to the carnitine molecule, whereas propionyl-L-carnitine contains a propionyl group attached to the carnitine molecule.

Reference:

1. “Acetyl-l-Carnitine: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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