Ubiquinol-10/lipids ratios in consecutive patients with different angiographic findings

ObjectiveInformation concerning un-supplemented plasma concentrations of ubiquinol-10 in coronary artery disease patients is still controversial. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of plasma ubiquinol-10 and ratios of ubiquinol-10 to plasma lipids in consecutive patients with different angiographic findings.Subjects and methodsThirty-six consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography were split in two groups with different atherosclerotic changes. These patients were un-supplemented with antioxidants and were not treated by lipid-lowering medication. We have measured a plasma level of ubiquinol-10 using high-performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection. Conventional plasma lipids, markers of oxidative stress and other widely accepted risk factors of atherosclerosis have been determined too.ResultsPlasma ubiquinol-10 to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ratios in patients with different angiographic findings have been found as 180 ± 69 and 132 ± 43, respectively (p = 0.020). The ubiquinol-10/LDL-C ratio was significantly lower in angiographically positive patients. There were also significant differences in ubiquinol-10 per total cholesterol (109 ± 47 and 80 ± 26, respectively; p = 0.031), per triglycerides (426 ± 191 and 237 ± 86, respectively; p = 0.002) and per the sum of triglycerides and total cholesterol (86 ± 35 and 61 ± 20, respectively; p = 0.013).ConclusionsThere have not been found any significant differences between levels of widely accepted risk factors for genesis and progress of atherosclerotic changes in these two groups of patients. Only the level of triglycerides and the total cholesterol minus high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were significantly higher in patients with stenosis. This ratio correlated with the ubiquinol-10/LDL-C ratio, which was significantly lower in patients with stenosis. Our results indicate that the ratio of ubiquinol-10/LDL-C is likely to be a risk factor for atherogenesis.