European Journal of Zoological Research
Abstract
Author(s): S. Masoud Davoudi
Under most conditions for the majority of species, carnitine would not be considered a vitamin as it is
adequately synthesized in body tissues. However, the need for supplemental carnitine has been demonstrated in
mammals in circumstances in which the biosynthesis is limited by nutritional deprivation of the precursor amino
acids lysine and methionine. Dietary carnitine is essential for some insect species, including beetles of the
family Tenebrionidai (mealworms), the beetle Oryza- ephilus surinamensis, and the fly Drosophila melanogaster.
For these species it is appropriate to refer to carnitine as a vitamin.
