Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Concentration of Coenzyme Q in Clinical Practice, A Breaking News Finding in Humans

ABSTRACT

There is significant interest in coenzyme Q₁₀(CoQ₁₀) as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and in its promise as a neuroprotectant. Experimental studies indicate that CoQ₁₀ can protect against brain disorders by inhibiting neuronal damage. There is a need to demonstrate CSF levels of CoQ₁₀ in humans.

After clearance from the hospital ethical committee, all of the subjects presenting with a suspicion of neurological diseases were asked to give written informed consent for lumber puncture for testing of CSF. CoQ₁₀ concentration in CSF was examined by HPLC with electrochemical detection system at the Division of Molecular Neurogenetics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York,USA. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from all of the patients (n=38) to confirm clinical diagnosis. CAT scan of the head was done in all of the patients presenting with seizures and stroke. All CSF specimens were examined for cells, sugar and proteins and those suspected of being contaminated with blood were excluded from study.

The age varied between 17 to 60 years and the number of males (n=16) were less than females (n=21). Patients were suffering from epileptic seizures (n=19), tuberculous meningitis (n=5) and stroke (n=4). The rest of the 9 patients presented with headache of non-neurological condition with or without fever. The CSF concentration of CoQ₁₀ was significantly lower among these subjects; mean ± SD ( 0.59 ± 0.12 ng/ml), which appears to represent the normal level of CoQ₁₀ in healthy subjects. The concentration of CoQ₁₀ in CSF tended to be higher among patients with TBM ( 1.27 ± 0.60 ng/ml), seizures ( 1.26 ± 0.34 ng/ml) and stroke ( 0.83 ± 0.20 ng/ml) compared to subjects without neurological problem. These findings indicate that there is greater release of CoQ₁₀ or increased synthesis in the tissues possibly to fight against oxidative stress caused by brain disorders.

This study shows that the level of CoQ₁₀ in the csf is substantially lower than that in serum by three orders of magnitude and tends to be elevated under pathological conditions associated with brain injury. Further studies in a larger number of subjects are necessary to confirm our findings.

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