l-Carnitine regulates regeneration of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
- Open access
l-Carnitine enhances human hematopoietic stem cell regeneration by activating fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial metabolism, as shown in primary cell assays.
- Why it matters: Understanding metabolic regulation of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is crucial for developing regenerative therapies, but direct metabolic profiling has been challenging due to cell scarcity and technical limits.
- What they did: Using a low-input mass spectrometry platform, the study profiled 13 hematopoietic cell types from adult human bone marrow with as few as 10,000 cells, identifying key metabolic pathways including l-carnitine-driven fatty acid oxidation.
- The result: Supplementing l-carnitine improved HSPC function both ex vivo and in vivo, revealing a targetable metabolic circuit that enhances stem cell regenerative capacity with potential therapeutic applications.