Affiliations: Operative Unit of Endocrinology, Catholic University,
Rome, Italy | Chair of Biochemistry, University "Politecnico delle
Marche", Ancona, Italy
Note: [] Address for correspondence: A. Mancini, Operative Unit of
Endocrinology, Catholic University School of Medicine, Rome, Italy. E-mail:
mancini.giac@mclink.it
Abstract: In previous works we have demonstrated plasma CoQ10 alterations in
pituitary diseases, such as acromegaly or secondary hypothyroidism. However,
pituitary lesions can induce complex clinical pictures due to alterations of
different endocrine axes controlled by pituitary itself. A further rationale
for studying CoQ10 in pituitary-adrenal diseases is related to the common
biosynthetic pathway of cholesterol and ubiquinone. We have therefore assayed
plasma CoQ10 levels in different conditions with increased or defective
activity of pituitary-adrenal axis (3 subjects with ACTH-dependent adrenal
hyperplasia, 2 cases of Cushing's disease and 1 case of 17-α-hydroxylase
deficiency; 10 subjects with secondary hypoadrenalism, including three subjects
with also secondary hypothyroidism). CoQ10 levels were significantly lower in
isolated hypoadrenalism than in patients with adrenal hyperplasia and multiple
pituitary deficiencies (mean ± SEM: 0.57 ± 0.04 vs 1.08 ±
0.08 and 1.10 ± 0.11 μg/ml, respectively); when corrected for
cholesterol levels, the same trend was observed, but did not reach statistical
significance. These preliminary data indicate that secretion of adrenal
hormones is in some way related to CoQ10 levels, both in augmented and reduced
conditions. However, since thyroid hormones have an important role in
modulating CoQ10 levels and metabolism, when coexistent, thyroid deficiency
seems to play a prevalent role in comparison with adrenal deficiency.
