Summary
Serum coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels were measured at rest and during incremental exercise in 21 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 9 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The mean serum CoQ10 levels at rest in patients with COPD and IPF were 0.56 ± 0.20 and 0.45 ± 0.16 μg/ml, respectively. In both groups these levels were decreased compared with those of healthy subjects. In the patients with COPD, CoQ10 levels were significantly correlated with body weight, however, there was no correlation between CoQ10 levels and ventilatory function, PaO2, VO2/kg at rest, or maximal VO2. In eight of nine patients whose PaO2 at rest was lower than 75 torr, serum CoQ10 levels were lower than 0.5 μg/ml. We studied the effects of the oral administration of CoQ10 at 90 mg/day for 8 weeks on pulmonary function and exercise performance in eight patients with COPD. Serum CoQ10 levels were significantly elevated in association with an improvement in hypoxemia at rest, whereas pulmonary function was unaltered. Oxygen consumption during exercise was not changed, whereas PaO2 was significantly improved, and heart rate was significantly decreased compared with the results obtained at an identical workload at baseline. Furthermore, lactate production was suppressed during the anaerobic exercise stage after CoQ10 administration, and exercise performance tended to increase. These data suggested that CoQ10 has favorable effects on musclar energy metabolism in patients with chronic lung diseases who have hypoxemia at rest and/or during exercise.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- COPD:
-
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- IPF:
-
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
References
Abe K, Ishibashi K, Ohmae M, Kawabe K, Katui G (1978) Determination of ubiquinone in serum and liver by high-speed liquid chromatography. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 24:555–567
Baum SR, Keim NL, Dixon RM, Clagnas P, Andereg A, Shrago ES (1986) The prevalence and determinants of nutritional changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chest 86:558–563
Cohen CA, Zagelbaum CMG, Gross D, Macklem PT (1982) Clinical manifestation of inspiratory muscle fatigue. Am J Med 73:308–316
Costa LE, Mirande IM, Taquini AC(1974) Effect of chronic hypobaric hypoxia on ubiquinone levels in heart muscle. Acta Physiol Latino americana 24:631–637
Criner GJ, Celli BR (1987) Ventilatory muscle recruitment in exercise with O2 in obstructed patients with mild hypoxemia. J Appl Physiol 63:195–200
Downing SE, Mitchell JH, Wallance AG (1963) Cardiovascular responses to ischemia, hypoxia and hypercapnea of the central nervous system. Am J Physiol 204:881
Folkers K, Littarru GP, Ho L, Runge TH, Havanonda S, Cooley D (1970) Evidence for a deficiency of coenzymeQ-10 in human heart disease. Int J Vitam Res 40:380–390
Folkers K, Watanabe T, Kaji M (1977) Critique of coenzyme Q in biochemical and biomedical research and in 10 years of clinical research on cardiovascular disease. J Mol Med 2:431–460
Gandevia SC, Killian KJ, Cambell EJM (1981) The effects of respiratory muscle fatigue on respiratory sensations. Clin Sci 60:463–466
Jones NL, Campbell EJM (1982) Clinical exercise testing. 2nd edn, Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 80–82
Kilmartin JV, Rossi-Bernardi L (1973) Interactionof hemoglobin with hydrogen ions, carbon dioxide and organic phosphates. Physiol Rev 53:836
Kishi T, Okamoto T, Kanamori N, Yamagami T, Kishi H, Okada A, Folkers K (1981) Estimation of plasma levels of coenzymeQ-10, and relationship to oral dosage. In: Folkers K, Yamamura Y (eds) Biochemical and clinical aspects of coenzymeQ-10, Vol 3. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 67–78
Kurihara N, Fujimoto S, Terakawa K, Yamamoto M, Takeda T (1987) Prediction of PaO2 during treadmill walking in patients with COPD. Chest 91:328–332
Kurihara N, Fujimoto S, Terakawa K, Ohta K, Hirata K, Nakamo Y, Nakano N, Matushita H, Fujiwara H, Adachi N, Takeda T (1990) Exercise performance and limiting factors in patients with chronic lung diseases. Osaka City Med J 36:129–139
Lange-Anderson K, Shephard R, Denoline H, Varnauskas E, Masironi R (1971) Fundamentals of exercise testing. World Health Organization, Geneva
Okuyama T (1983) Ubiquinone 10 contents in serum and liver of patients with liver diseases. Osaka City Med J 32:243–254 (in Japanese)
Ogura F, Morii H, Ohno M, Ueno T, Kitabatake S, Hamada N, Ito K (1980) Serum coenzymeQ-10 levels in thyroid disorders. Horm Metab Res 12:537–540
Sawa H, Takezawa H (1981) Influence of cellular metabolism on coenzymeQ-10. In: Yamamura Y, Kimura E (eds) CoenzymeQ-10 Report. Eisai Medical View Tokyo (in Japanese)
Scano G, Van Meerhaeghe A, Willeput R, Vachaudes JP, Sergysels R (1982) Effect of oxygen on breathing during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Eur J Respir Dis 63:23
Spiro SG, Dowdeswell RG, Clark TJH (1981) An analysis of submaximal exercise responses in patients with sarcoidosis and fibrosing alveolitis. Br J Dis Chest 75:169–180
Vandenburg E, Woestigne V, Gyselen A (1967) Weight changes in the terminal stages of chronic obstructive lung diseases. Am Rev Respir Dis 96:556
Yamamura Y (1985) A survey of the therapeutic uses of coenzymeQ-10. In: Lenaz G (ed) CoenzymeQ biochemistry, bioenergetics and clinical applications of ubiquinone. Wiley, New York, pp 479–505
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fujimoto, S., Kurihara, N., Hirata, K. et al. Effects of coenzymeQ10 administration on pulmonary function and exercise performance in patients with chronic lung diseases. Clin Investig 71 (Suppl 8), S162–S166 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00226860
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00226860