Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Category: amino-acid

Aliases: ALCAR, ALC

Pharmacological Mechanism

Acetylated L-carnitine — more readily crosses the BBB than free carnitine, providing CNS acetyl-CoA precursor + neuronal carnitine. Modest cognitive support evidence in mild cognitive impairment + diabetic neuropathy.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 4.2h, IV: 4.2h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 1500 mg (Range: 500–2000 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• nervous

Pathways It Modulates

• Carnitine shuttle (substrate) — mitochondrial + CNS-targeted carnitine (acetyl form)

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 7045767
• Formula: C9H17NO4
• Molecular weight: 203.24 g/mol
• InChIKey: RDHQFKQIGNGIED-MRVPVSSYSA-N
• SMILES: CC(=O)O[C@H](CC(=O)[O-])C[N+](C)(C)C

References

• PMID 15283472