Affiliations: East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Francis
Hospital, TX, USA | Coenzyme Q[TeX:] _{10} Laboratory, Inc.,
Tyler, TX, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Peter H. Langsjoen, 1107 Doctors
Dr., Tyler, TX 75703, USA. Tel.: +1 903 595 3778; Fax: +1 903 595 4962; E-mail:
alilangsjoen@cs.com
Abstract: Patients with CHF, NYHA class IV, often fail to achieve adequate
plasma CoQ_{10} levels on supplemental ubiquinone at dosages up to 900
mg/day. These patients often have plasma total CoQ_{10} levels of less than
2.5 μg/ml and have limited clinical improvement. It is postulated that the
intestinal edema in these critically ill patients may impair CoQ_{10}
absorption. We identified seven patients with advanced CHF (mean EF 22%)
with sub-therapeutic plasma CoQ_{10} levels with mean level of 1.6 μg/ml
on an average dose of 450 mg of ubiquinone daily (150–600 mg/day). All seven
of these patients were changed to an average of 580 mg/day of ubiquinol
(450–900 mg/day) with follow-up plasma CoQ_{10} levels, clinical status, and
EF measurements by echocardiography. Mean plasma CoQ_{10} levels increased
from 1.6 μg/ml (0.9–2.0 μg/ml) up to 6.5 μg/ml
(2.6–9.3 μg/ml). Mean EF improved from 22% (10–35%) up to 39%
(10–60%) and clinical improvement has been remarkable with NYHA class
improving from a mean of IV to a mean of II (I to III). Ubiquinol has
dramatically improved absorption in patients with severe heart failure and the
improvement in plasma CoQ_{10} levels is correlated with both clinical
improvement and improvement in measurement of left ventricular function.
Keywords: Class IV congestive heart failure, end stage CHF, CoQ[TeX:] _{10}, coenzyme Q[TeX:] _{10}, ubiquinone, ubiquinol, vitamin E, cholesterol
Journal: BioFactors, vol. 32, no. 1-4, pp. 119-128, 2008
