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Effect of Lifelong Coenzyme Q₁₀ Supplementation on Age-Related Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Function in Liver and Skeletal Muscle of Rats Fed on a Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA)-Rich Diet

Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Department of Physiology, University of Granada, Spain.

Address correspondence to Julio J. Ochoa, PhD, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology. C/Ramón y Cajal, 4, 18071 Granada, Spain. E-mail: jjoh{at}ugr.es

This study investigates aging-related changes in lipid peroxidation and functionality in liver and skeletal-muscle mitochondria in rats fed a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), depending on supplementation or not with coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀). Two groups of rats were fed for 24 months on a PUFA-rich diet, differing in supplementation or not with CoQ₁₀. At 6 and 24 months mitochondria were analyzed for fatty acid profile; hydroperoxides; -tocopherol; CoQ_9; CoQ_10; cytochromes b, c+c₁, and a+a₃ contents; cytochrome c oxidase activity; and catalase activity in cytosol. Results of this study showed for the supplemented group an age-associated decrease in the peroxidizability index, an increase in catalase activity in skeletal muscle, and modulation of the aging-related changes in different mitochondrial electron-transport-chain components in skeletal muscle. These findings provide mechanisms to explain the effect of CoQ₁₀ in extending the life span of animals fed a PUFA-rich diet.