L-Carnitine Colorimetric/Fluorometric Assay Kit

Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It is required for transport of fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix via the carnitine/acylcarnitine shuttle where β-oxidation occurs, acetate is generated and the acetate utilized in the TCA cycle for the generation of energy. L-Carnitine is often sold as a nutritional supplement. Carnitine exists in two stereoisomers. Only L-carnitine is biologically active. BioVision's L-Carnitine Assay Kit is a simple convenient means of measuring free L-Carnitine in biological samples such as serum. The assay transfers an acetyl group from CoA to carnitine and the free CoA formed is further processed with subsequent oxidation of the Oxi-Red probe to give fluorescence (Ex/Em 535 nm 587 nm) and absorbance (570 nm). The normal range for serum L-Carnitine is ~20-100 µM. The detection sensitivity is ~1 µM for the fluorometric assay and ~10 µM for the colorimetric assay.