Biological Activity of Carnitine 2-Ethyl-6-Methyl-3-Hydroxypyridine

The antiradical properties and biological activity of carnitine 2-ethyl-6-methyl-3-hydroxypyridine (СP) are investigated. The drug has strong antiradical activity. In the concentration range 10–6–10–9 M, CP prevents the activation of lipid peroxidation in the membranes of the liver mitochondria of mice incubated in a hypotonic medium. Such incubation causes a change in the fatty acid (FA) composition of the lipid component of mitochondrial membranes: the total relative percentage of 18:2ω6, 18:1ω9, and 22:6ω3 of the main FAs that make up cardiolipin decreased by 8.1%. The introduction of CP in the incubation medium leads not only to the restoration of the pool of these FAs but also to an increase in their content by 15%, which, possibly, contributes to an increase in the efficiency of the mitochondria’s functioning and an increase in the body’s resistance to stress.