title: Bioenergetics in clinical medicine XIV. Studies on an apparent deficiency of coenzyme Q-10 in patients with cardiovascular and related diseases.
abstract: Blood samples from 406 cardiac patients were analyzed by a differential assay of the specific activities (s.a.) of the succinate dhydrogenase-coenzyme Q-10 reductase to detect and quantitate existing deficiencies of coenzyme Q-10. 87/406, or ca. 20%, showed a mean lower basal S.A. and a mean higher per cent deficiency than a control group; both differences were significant (p is less than 0.001). The remaining 319 patients (80%) showed a negligible deficiency, but a mean low basal S.A., significant by p is less than 0.001. Cardiac patients may show low S.A.'s (sub-normal) of this CoQ-10-enzyme with or without a deficiency of CoQ-10. The desirable state for the patient is a normal level of the enzyme for bioenergetics and no deficiency of CoQ-10. Previously, a deficiency of CoQ-10 was found for cardiac biopsies from surgery; now, blood samples reveal the same deficiency. Frequent correlation between deficiencies in the blood and cardiac tissue is expected. This CoQ-10-enzyme in blood can aid patient selection for the clinical administration of CoQ-10 to cardiac patients.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase / Q000172:deficiency; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D014451:Ubiquinone; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase