ubiquinone and Aortic-Valve-Stenosis

Epidemiological data show a rise in the mean age of patients affected by heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery. Senescent myocardium reduces the tolerance to ischemic stress and there are indications about age-associated deficit in post-operative cardiac performance. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and more specifically its reduced form ubiquinol (QH), improve several conditions related to bioenergetic deficit or increased exposure to oxidative stress. This trial (Eudra-CT 2009-015826-13) evaluated the clinical and biochemical effects of ubiquinol in 50 elderly patients affected by severe aortic stenosis undergoing aortic valve replacement and randomized to either placebo or 400 mg/day ubiquinol from 7 days before to 5 days after surgery. Plasma and cardiac tissue CoQ10 levels and oxidative status, circulating troponin I, CK-MB (primary endpoints), IL-6 and S100B were assessed. Moreover, main cardiac adverse effects, NYHA class, contractility and myocardial hypertrophy (secondary endpoints) were evaluated during a 6-month follow-up visit. Ubiquinol treatment counteracted the post-operative plasma CoQ10 decline (p<0.0001) and oxidation (p=0.038) and curbed the post-operative increase in troponin I (QH, 1.90 [1.47-2.48] ng/dL; placebo, 4.03 [2.45-6.63] ng/dL; p=0.007) related to cardiac surgery. Moreover, ubiquinol prevented the adverse outcomes that might have been associated with defective left ventricular ejection fraction recovery in elderly patients.

Topics: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aortic Valve; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Female; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Humans; Male; Postoperative Complications; Ubiquinone

Topics: Aortic Valve Stenosis; Cardiomegaly; Coenzymes; Humans; Mitochondria, Heart; Ubiquinone

A 40% reduction of the diameter of the ascending aorta maintained for 60 days induced the formation of a compensate cardiac hypertrophy in rabbits without changing the value of the azide insensitive Ca2+-ATPase activity in comparison to control hearts. The cardiac mitochondria isolated from constricted animals assayed in presence of glutamate and succinate did not show a change in the R.C.I. and ADP/O values in comparison to the controls, whilst the QO2 value enhanced or decreased respectively when determined with glutamate or succinate. The intramuscular injections of CoQ10 (12 mg/kg body weight/48 h) enhanced the mitochondrial CoQ10 concentrations both in the control and in the constricted animals and further increased the QO2 value determined in both groups of animals when glutamate was used as the substrate. The production of O2.- radicals by the level of the complexes I and III of the respiratory chain, did not change in the constricted animals, nor in the animals administered with CoQ10 in comparison to the control. CoQ10 augmented the rate of oxygen consumption by the submitochondrial particles only in the constricted animals. Moreover, the treatment with the coenzyme or the constriction of the aorta, did not modify the cardiac superoxide dismutase activity, but increased the glutathione peroxidase activity only in the banded animals. In addition, in the CoQ10 treated animals there was a reduction of NADH-diaphorase activity both in the control and constricted animals, while the malondialdehyde, generated during the thiobarbituric acid test, and the cardiac content of lipofuscin were decreased.

Topics: Animals; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Body Weight; Cardiomegaly; Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase; Glutathione Peroxidase; Lipofuscin; Male; Malondialdehyde; Mitochondria, Heart; Myocardium; Organ Size; Oxygen Consumption; Rabbits; Superoxide Dismutase; Superoxides; Ubiquinone

Topics: Animals; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Cardiomegaly; Coenzymes; Exercise Test; Male; Mitochondria, Heart; Rabbits; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Ubiquinone

Topics: Animals; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Coenzymes; Dogs; Energy Metabolism; Lactates; Myocardium; Oxygen Consumption; Tachycardia; Ubiquinone