Čes. slov. farm. 2001, 50(2):78-82
Coenzyme Q and its Medical Implications
- 1 Fyziologický ústav AV ČR, Praha
- 2 Oddělení biochemie "Giovanni Moruzzi" Univerzita Bologna, Itálie
Coenzyme Q (CoQ), a lipophilic substituted benzoquinone, is present in all animal and plant cells.It is endogenously synthesised in tissues and involved in a variety of cellular processes. It is welldocumented that CoQ is an obligatory component of the respiratory chain in the inner mitochondrialmembrane coupled to ATP synthesis. However, its additional localisation in different subcellularfractions is probably associated with its multiple functions in the cell (as a part of extramitochondrialelectron transport chains, a powerful antioxidant agent or a membrane stabiliser). The actionsoutlined for CoQ can explain its broad range of therapeutic effects. This presentation is a brief reviewof recent knowledge concerning medical aspects of CoQ in mammals. The energetic role seemssufficient to explain at least some of the clinical effects (heart failure, neurodegenerative diseases)but in other cases the antioxidant function may be a more convenient explanation. Nevertheless,a better knowledge of CoQ functions at the molecular level and additional well-designed studies arerequired to provide specific recommendation and definitive evidence of its therapeutic effects.
Keywords: coenzyme Q; energetic role; antioxidant function; therapeutical effects
Published: February 1, 2001 Show citation