Improvement in recovery of left ventricular function during reperfusion with coenzyme Q10 in isolated working rat...

To investigate the protective effect of coenzyme Q10 on left ventricular function during ischaemia and reperfusion, we studied isolated working rat hearts contracting 300 times per min perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution at 37 degrees C. There was no significant difference in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and left ventricular dP/dt between the coenzyme Q10-treated group (intravenous injection of 0.0115 mmol per kg of body weight, n = 7) and the vehicle-treated control group (n = 7) throughout 45 min of ischaemia and 30 min of reperfusion. The left ventricular peak systolic pressure in the coenzyme Q10-treated group was higher than in the vehicle-treated control group (48.7 +/- 10.9 versus 29.7 +/- 10.0 mmHg, p less than 0.05) after 30 min of reperfusion, although there was no significant difference between the two groups before and during ischaemia (45 min). During 5 to 30 min of the recovery period, the coronary sinus flow in the coenzyme Q10-treated group was greater than in the control group (5.4 +/- 1.8 versus 3.1 +/- 0.5 ml X min-1 after 30 min of recovery, p less than 0.05). It was concluded that coenzyme Q10 improved recovery of the left ventricular peak systolic pressure and the coronary sinus flow. Although it is possible that coenzyme Q10 facilitated ATP production and improved recovery, it is more likely that coenzyme Q10, which is an antioxidant, protected the myocardium against free radical damage during reperfusion.