Deficiency of coenzyme Q 10 in human heart disease. II
Littarru, G.P.; Ho, L.; Folkers, K.
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. Internationale Zeitschrift für Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal International de Vitaminologie et de Nutrition 42(3): 413-434
1972
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9831 PMID: 5086647 Document Number: 56240
1. The specific activity of the succinate dehydrogenase-coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) reductase system was measured at biopsy or post mortem in heart tissue from 13 persons considered to be normal and from 132 patients with heart disorders. The specific activities of the CoQ10 enzyme system in tissues from 7 of the 13 controls showed no increase on the addition of exogenous CoQ3, which indicated no deficiency of CoQ10; in tissues from the other 6, increases in specific activity were from 11 to 28, average 20% on adding CoQ3. The average increase for the group as a whole was 9%. In 13 of the 14 groups of patients the average specific activities of the CoQ10 enzyme preparations from heart tissues increased on adding CoQ3 by from 27 to 82%; in a few, the increase exceeded 100%. The greatest deficiency was in patients with tricuspid defects, with an average increase in specific activity of 82%. In 98 patients, increases in specific activity of the CoQ10 enzyme preparations exceeded 25% in the presence of CoQ3, thus indicating deficiency of CoQ10 in their heart tissue.