title: Plasma coenzyme Q(10) in children and adolescents undergoing doxorubicin therapy.
abstract: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that doxorubicin treatment for cancer in childhood and adolescence causes a dose-related decrease in the concentration of plasma coenzyme Q(10). The concentration of plasma coenzyme Q(10) was measured before and after administration of doxorubicin in six patients, and before and after chemotherapy in six patients undergoing treatments that did not include doxorubicin. There was a significant increase in the concentration of plasma coenzyme Q(10) in post-treatment samples compared to pre-treatment samples in patients treated with doxorubicin (P=0.008; n=32), whereas there were no significant changes in plasma coenzyme Q(10) concentrations in patients treated with chemotherapy that did not include doxorubicin. (P=0.770; n=30). We hypothesise that the increase in plasma coenzyme Q(10) that was observed in patients undergoing doxorubicin treatment is due to release of coenzyme Q(10) from apoptotic or necrotic cardiac tissue. We conclude that the cardiotoxicity due to doxorubicin therapy does not involve acute myocardial depletion of coenzyme Q(10).
authors.affiliation: Sir James Spence Institute of Child Health, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, NE1 4LP, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. s.eaton@ich.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pourfarzam
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000975:Antioxidants; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003067:Coenzymes; D019610:Cytoprotection; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D003067:Coenzymes; D014451:Ubiquinone; D004317:Doxorubicin; D002784:Cholesterol; C024989:coenzyme Q10