Iyini i-carnitine?
I-carnitine iyinhlanganisela ye-quaternary ammonium ehilelekile ekuguqulweni kwezinto ezincelisayo, izitshalo, namanye amagciwane. Ukuze kusekelwe ukushintshashintsha kwamandla, i-carnitine ithutha ama-acid anamafutha anamaketanga amade iye emithonjeni ukuze i-mitochondria i-oxidized ukuze kukhiqizwe amandla amahhala, futhi ihlanganyela nasekususeni imikhiqizo yokuguqulwa komzimba emangqamuzaneni. Ngenxa yezindima zayo ezibalulekile ekuguqulweni komzimba, i-carnitine igxila ezicutshini ezinjengemisipha yamathambo neyezinhliziyo eziguqula amafutha omzimba abe umthombo wamandla. Ngokuvamile abantu, kuhlanganise nabantu abadla imifino kuphela, benza i-L-carnitine eyanele in vivo.  I-carnitine ikhona njengenye yama-stereoisomers amabili (ama-enantiomers amabili i-d-carnitine (S-(+-) ne-l-carnitine (R-(−)-)). Zombili zisebenza ngokwemvelo, kodwa yi-l-carnitine kuphela eyenzeka ngokwemvelo ezilwaneni, futhi i-d-carnitine inobuthi njengoba ivimbela umsebenzi we-l-form. Ekamelweni lokushisa, i-carnitine ehlanzekile iyimpuphu emhlophe, ne-zwitterion encibilikiswa ngamanzi enobuthi obuncane. Njengoba itholakala kuma-amino acid, i-carnitine yaqala ukukhiqizwa ngokukhishwa kwenyama ngo-1905, okwaholela egameni layo elivela olimini lwesiLatini, elithi "caro/carnis" noma inyama.  Abanye abantu abanezifo zofuzo noma zezokwelapha (njengezinsana ezizalwe ngaphambi kwesikhathi) abakwazi ukwenza i-carnitine eyanele, okudinga ukwesekwa kokudla. Naphezu kokusetshenziswa okuvamile kokungezelela i-carnitine phakathi kwabasubathi ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukusebenza komsebenzi noma ukuvuselelwa, abukho ubufakazi obanele bekhwalithi ephezulu bokuthi kunikeze noma iyiphi inzuzo.