= Carnitine
<Carnitine> is a hydroxy-substituted compound with a permanently charged trimethylammonium group and a carboxyl group. Its usual near-neutral aqueous form is a <zwitterion>. The biological L form has defined <stereochemistry>; “carnitine” without a stereochemical qualifier does not uniquely specify a pure enantiomer.<PubChem Compound database by National Center for Biotechnology Information>[L-carnitine CID10917 and stereochemically unspecified/DL record CID288]{ref}
Transfer of a fatty <acyl group> to its hydroxyl group forms an acylcarnitine. Reversible transfer between carnitine and <coenzyme A> participates in the movement and use of fatty-acid-derived groups in cellular <metabolism>. The chemical point is reversible acyl carriage; it does not imply that all stereoisomers have identical biochemical behaviour.
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