tocopherylquinone and ubiquinol

A sensitive procedure is described for the simultaneous determination of vitamin E and coenzyme Q homologues and alpha-tocopherol oxidation products using two-isocratic step high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemical detection in the oxidative mode. Zinc-catalyzed reduction in a post-column reactor allows the detection of alpha-tocopherolquinone, epoxy-tocopherolquinone, and ubiquinones. This technique was used to quantify lipophilic antioxidants in the liver tissue of rats treated or not with alpha-tocopherolquinone and in a plant oil. Alpha-tocopherolquinone and its epoxide derivatives, formed from alpha-tocopherol during iron-catalyzed phospholipid peroxidation, were also determined in a liposome suspension. The high selectivity and sensitivity of the coulometric detection system enabled use of low oxidation potentials giving little baseline noise, while a fast isolation procedure and quantitative recoveries of all oxidized and reduced forms made it possible to measure a high ubiquinol/ubiquinone ratio in liver tissue. Administration of alpha-tocopherolquinone to rats did not alter the antioxidant status of the liver, despite strong accumulation of both this quinone and its reduced form, alpha-tocopherolhydroquinone. These results indicate the presence of an efficient reductase and suggest that it could contribute to the protection of cellular membranes from oxidative stress.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Drug Stability; Iron; Lipid Peroxidation; Liposomes; Liver; Male; Plant Oils; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reproducibility of Results; Ubiquinone; Vitamin E; Zinc