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Fatty-acid-transport small-molecule reference standard
Overview
L-Carnitine (3-hydroxy-4-trimethylammoniobutanoate) is a quaternary-ammonium small molecule that shuttles long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane through the carnitine-palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system — the step that makes long-chain β-oxidation possible at all. That role places it in the mitochondrial and cellular-energetics reference set, where it is used as a characterized standard in fatty-acid-oxidation and muscle-energetics studies. It is described here as an analytical standard, not for any metabolic-support outcome. Lyochem supplies L-Carnitine as a reference standard at ≥ 99.0% purity. Because it is a small molecule rather than a peptide, the analytical workflow is matched to its polar, zwitterionic, quaternary-ammonium chemistry: HILIC or ion-exchange HPLC for chemical purity (plain reverse-phase is ineffective without modified conditions), mass-spec confirmation at 161 Da for the molecular ion, and chiral HPLC or polarimetry to confirm the L-enantiomer, since D-carnitine is the inactive enantiomer and should be absent from reference-grade material. Residual-solvent screening completes the packet. Both lyophilized powder and pre-prepared aqueous-solution fills are available for workflows that prefer a ready solution.
Applications & buyer fit
Mitochondrial-targeted peptides — MOTS-c, SS-31 (Elamipretide) — and the mitochondrial-targeting small-molecule reagents (NAD+, AICAR, 5-Amino-1MQ, SLU-PP-332) ship to research labs studying OXPHOS, ROS biology, sirtuin-mediated deacetylation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in disease models. The lipophilic / cationic character that drives mitochondrial accumulation also makes some peptides oxidation-prone in solution; working stocks should be prepared fresh or held at −80 °C when the workflow permits.
Academic Laboratories
Universities, medical schools, and government research institutes qualifying a reference standard for a method-development or in vivo workflow.
Biotech R&D Groups
Preclinical biotech and pharmaceutical discovery teams sourcing characterized peptides for receptor-pharmacology, screening, and method-development campaigns.
Every release ships with its own batch-specific CoA — identity, purity, and the analytical scope agreed at quote stage, tied to the exact lot you receive.
Review a representative batch CoA before you order, so you can confirm the packet matches what your method or sponsor audit needs.
Supplied strictly as a research reagent to research institutions — not a finished dosage form and not for human administration. Buyer qualification runs at the inquiry stage.
Specifications
Documentation available on request
Regulatory note
Lyochem supplies L-Carnitine strictly for Research Use Only; buyers are responsible for verifying ingredient eligibility in their destination market.
Frequently asked questions
Its quaternary-ammonium, zwitterionic structure dictates the methods: HILIC or ion-exchange HPLC for chemical purity (reverse-phase is ineffective without modification), mass-spec at 161 Da for the molecular ion, and chiral HPLC or polarimetry to confirm the L-enantiomer. D-carnitine is the biologically inactive enantiomer and should not be present in reference-grade material, so the chiral check is part of the release packet rather than an optional add-on.
Lyochem supplies the free-base L-Carnitine by default. Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) adds an acetyl group at the carnitine nitrogen and crosses the blood-brain barrier more readily — the form used in cognitive and neurological reference work — while L-Carnitine L-Tartrate is a co-crystal with better solid-state stability than the hygroscopic free base. ALCAR and L-Tartrate forms are available on request; specify the form at order placement since they are not interchangeable as standards.
Its defining function — transporting long-chain acyl groups into the mitochondrial matrix for β-oxidation via the CPT system — is squarely a mitochondrial-energetics role, which is why it sits alongside the other electron-transport and cellular-energetics standards in the catalogue rather than in a general 'other' bucket. As with the rest of that set, it is supplied as a characterized standard for bench research, not for any in vivo metabolic claim.
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