Muscle ubiquinone in male effort angina patients

Seven (7) males with effort angina and listed for coronary by-pass surgery had muscle biopsies taken from their vastus lateralis muscle for determination of muscle fiber types (%ST), ubiquinone (vitamin Q, UQ), oxidative and fermentative enzyme activities. Graded cycle ergometer exercise to determine intensities corresponding to onset of blood lactate accumulation set to 2.0 nimol × 1^–1 (W_OSLA) and symptom limited exercise (maximal, W_SL) were also undertaken. W_OBLA was positively related to %ST (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). %ST was on the other hand inversely related to UQ (r =–0.82, p < 0.05), the heart specific LD subunit LD-H (r =–0.96, p < 0.001), the isozyme LD₃ as the fraction of LD (%LD3) (r=–0.93, p < 0.01), and the CK isozyme CKMB as the fraction of CK (%CKMB) (r = –0.88, p < 0.05). It was suggested that muscle UQ depletion in the patients was related to molecular oxygen and free oxygen radical formation. The lack of antioxidants then caused a radical trauma specifically to the ST fiber and their mitochondria. This could be a cause and-effect explanation for the selective ST fiber downregulation in effort angina and heart failure in general.     

Muscle fibers,ubiquinone and exercise capacity in effort angina

Seventeen male patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and effort angina performed OBLA exercise stress tests (set to 2.0 mmol × 1^–1). They had muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis muscle the day before coronary by-pass grafting, and from the internal and external intercostal, diaphragm and gastrocnemius muscles during surgery. They had a low W_OBLA (83 ± 6 W, mean ± 1 S.E.M), W_OBLA corresponded to 79 ± 4% (% W_OBLA) of W_SL (symptom limited or maximal capacity = 111 ± 11 W). Peak blood lactate concentration averaged 2.9 mmol × 1^–1. Muscle fibre composition disclosed a depressed percent slow twitch (ST or red) muscle fibres in the vastus lateralis and intercostal muscles (%ST). The diaphragm and gastrocnemius muscles had normal %ST. Intercostal muscles had elevated values for the fast twitch muscle fibre (FT) subgroup FTa indicative of endurance adaptation. The vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius and diaphragm muscles had normal muscle ubiquinone (UQ) contents, whereas the intercostals were depleted. Plasma contents of the antioxidants UQ and -tocopherol were low as compared to healthy man.The study was carried out by the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.     

Muscle metabolism and quality (MQI) in prediabetic sedentary man

Twelve pairs of healthy sedentary males matched for their body mass index (BMI) with either a low insulin response (LIR; a stage of prediabetes) or a high (HIR; controls) to a standardized glucose infusion test (GIT) were studied in respect to their exercise capacities (W_OBLA, W_SL and relative W_OBLA: W_OBLA × W_SL-1 × 100), muscle fiber composition (%ST), muscle citrate synthase activity (CS), muscle ubiquinone (MUQ), MUQ over %ST (muscle quality index, MQI), and peripheral insulin sensitivity (PIS) as described with insulin-clamp techniques (SIGITmean). LIR and HIR displayed normal PIS and positive relationships versus exercise capacity. LIR's but not HIR's relative W_OBLA was related to CS as earlier only documented in endurance athletes but at a lower level than both in HIR and athletes. This pointed at a poor peripheral oxygen delivery in LIR. LIR's MQI decreased relative to HIR's the higher the muscle CS indicating radical related muscle trauma in LIR as in athletes. LIR representing prediabetes described muscle anomalies, which could represent prestages of the lesions observed in type-2 diabetes. They are claimed to be responsible for insulin-, glucose-, lipid-resistance, and peripheral circulatory resistance.     

Skeletal Muscle Metabolism and Body Fat Content in Men and Women

The purpose of the present study was to verify the relationships between indicators of body Eat content and specific characteristics of skeletal muscle in a large sample of men and women. Six skinfold thicknesses (σ6S) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) were measured in 348 Caucasian subjects (149 women and 199 men). Fiber type proportions (type I, type IIA, and type IIB) and activity levels of marker enzymes for the Krebs cycle (malate dehydrogenase, MDH) and for the fatty acid oxidation (3-hydroxya-cyl CoA dehydrogenase, HADH) pathways were determined in vastus lateralis muscle samples. No significant correlation was found between fiber type proportions and σ6S. Significant and negative correlations were, however, obtained in both genders between the σ6S and MDH enzyme activity (r = ?0.23; p<0.01), but not between the σ6S and HADH enzyme activity. When individuals with low and high amount of subcutaneous fat but paired for VO₂max were compared, vastus lateralis of fat men exhibited the same proportion of type I fiber (38.6 ± 10.3 vs 38.5 ± 13.4 %) and HADH activity level (3.43 ± 1.05 vs. 334 ± 0.81 U/g), but had about 20% less MDH enzyme activity than vastus lateralis of leaner men (158 ± 35 vs. 198 ± 43 U/g;p<0.05). No difference was found in any of these muscle phenotypes when comparisons were made between women with low and high amount of subcutaneous fat but also paired for VO₂max. Moreover, no relations were observed between skeletal muscle fiber type proportion or metabolic markers with relative subcutaneous fat distribution. In conclusion, these results indicate that the proportion of fiber type of skeletal muscle is not a determinant of body fat content or fat distribution in men and women. However, the results of the present study suggest, at least in men, that a low oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle, undetected by muscle fiber typing, is associated with an augmented body fat content.     

Daily consumption of tea catechins improves aerobic capacity in healthy male adults: a randomized double-blind,placebo-controlled,crossover trial

Our previous studies demonstrated that dietary supplementation with tea catechins combined with exercise improved endurance capacity in mice. This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of daily tea catechin consumption on aerobic capacity in humans. Sixteen Japanese non-athlete male subjects (aged 25–47 years) took 500 mL of a test beverage with or without tea catechins (570 mg) daily for 8 weeks and attended a training program twice a week. Aerobic capacity was evaluated by indirect calorimetry and near-infrared spectroscopy during graded cycle exercise. Catechin beverage consumption was associated with a significantly higher ventilation threshold during exercise and a higher recovery rate of oxygenated hemoglobin and myoglobin levels after graded cycle exercise when compared to subjects receiving the placebo beverage. These results indicate that daily consumption of tea catechins increases aerobic capacity when combined with semiweekly light exercise, which may be due to increased skeletal muscle aerobic capacity.     

High-dose vitamin C supplementation increases skeletal muscle vitamin C concentration and SVCT2 transporter expression but does not alter redox status in healthy males

Antioxidant vitamin C (VC) supplementation is of potential clinical benefit to individuals with skeletal muscle oxidative stress. However, there is a paucity of data reporting on the bioavailability of high-dose oral VC in human skeletal muscle. We aimed to establish the time course of accumulation of VC in skeletal muscle and plasma during high-dose VC supplementation in healthy individuals. Concurrently we investigated the effects of VC supplementation on expression levels of the key skeletal muscle VC transporter sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter 2 (SVCT2) and intramuscular redox and mitochondrial measures. Eight healthy males completed a randomized placebo-controlled, crossover trial involving supplementation with ascorbic acid (2×500 mg/day) over 42 days. Participants underwent muscle and blood sampling on days 0, 1, 7, and 42 during each treatment. VC supplementation significantly increased skeletal muscle VC concentration after 7 days, which was maintained at 42 days (VC 3.0±0.2 (mean±SEM) to 3.9±0.4 mg/100 g wet weight (ww) versus placebo 3.1±0.3 to 2.9±0.2 mg/100 g ww, p=0.001). Plasma VC increased after 1 day, which was maintained at 42 days (VC 61.0±6.1 to 111.5±10.4 µmol/L versus placebo 60.7±5.3 to 59.2±4.8 µmol/L, p<0.001). VC supplementation significantly increased skeletal muscle SVCT2 protein expression (main treatment effect p=0.006) but did not alter skeletal muscle redox measures or citrate synthase activity. A main finding of our study was that 7 days of high-dose VC supplementation was required to significantly increase skeletal muscle vitamin C concentration in healthy males. Our findings implicate regular high-dose vitamin C supplementation as a means to safely increase skeletal muscle vitamin C concentration without impairing intramuscular ascorbic acid transport, antioxidant concentrations, or citrate synthase activity.     

Antioxidant Properties of Ethyl Vanillin in Vitro and in Vivo

We systematically evaluated the antioxidant activity of ethyl vanillin, a vanillin analog, as compared with the activities of vanillin and other vanillin analogs using multiple assay systems. Ethyl vanillin and vanillin exerted stronger antioxidant effects than did vanillyl alcohol or vanillic acid in the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, although the antioxidant activities of vanillyl alcohol and vanillic acid were clearly superior to those of ethyl vanillin and vanillin in the three model radical assays. The antioxidant activity of ethyl vanillin was much stronger than that of vanillin in the oxidative hemolysis inhibition assay, but was the same as that of vanillin in the ORAC assay. Oral administration of ethyl vanillin to mice increased the concentration of ethyl vanillic acid, and effectively raised antioxidant activity in the plasma as compared to the effect of vanillin. These data suggest that the antioxidant activity of ethyl vanillin might be more beneficial than has been thought in daily health practice.     

Effect of ubiquinol supplementation on biochemical and oxidative stress indexes after intense exercise in young athletes

Objectives: Physical exercise significantly impacts the biochemistry of the organism. Ubiquinone is a key component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and ubiquinol, its reduced and active form, is an emerging molecule in sport nutrition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ubiquinol supplementation on biochemical and oxidative stress indexes after an intense bout of exercise.

Methods: 21 male young athletes (26?+?5 years of age) were randomized in two groups according to a double blind cross-over study, either supplemented with ubiquinol (200?mg/day) or placebo for 1 month. Blood was withdrawn before and after a single bout of intense exercise (40 min run at 85% maxHR). Physical performance, hematochemical parameters, ubiquinone/ubiquinol plasma content, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, paraoxonase activity and oxidative DNA damage were analyzed.

Results: A single bout of intense exercise produced a significant increase in most hematochemical indexes, in particular CK and Mb while, on the contrary, normalized coenzyme Q₁₀ plasma content decreased significantly in all subjects. Ubiquinol supplementation prevented exercise-induced CoQ deprivation and decrease in paraoxonase activity. Moreover at a cellular level, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ubiquinol supplementation was associated with a significant decrease in cytosolic ROS while mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative DNA damage remained unchanged.

Discussion: Data highlights a very rapid dynamic of CoQ depletion following intense exercise underlying an increased demand by the organism. Ubiquinol supplementation minimized exercise-induced depletion and enhanced plasma and cellular antioxidant levels but it was not able to improve physical performance indexes or markers of muscular damage.     

Protective effect of Opuntia ficus-indica L. cladodes against UVA-induced oxidative stress in normal human keratinocytes

Opuntia ficus-indica L. is known for its beneficial effects on human health, but still little is known on cladodes as a potent source of antioxidants. Here, a direct, economic and safe method was set up to obtain water extracts from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes rich in antioxidant compounds. When human keratinocytes were pre-treated with the extract before being exposed to UVA radiations, a clear protective effect against UVA-induced stress was evidenced, as indicated by the inhibition of stress-induced processes, such as free radicals production, lipid peroxidation and GSH depletion. Moreover, a clear protective effect against apoptosis in pre-treated irradiated cells was evidenced. We found that eucomic and piscidic acids were responsible for the anti-oxidative stress action of cladode extract. In conclusion, a bioactive, safe, low-cost and high value-added extract from Opuntia cladodes was obtained to be used for skin health/protection.     

The oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium,activities of selected lysosomal enzymes and activity of acute phase protein in peripheral blood of 18-year-old football players after aerobic cycle ergometer test combined with ice-water immersion or recovery at room temperature

The goal of the study was to evaluate the effect of an aerobic exercise bout followed by ice-water immersion or recovery at room temperature on the redox state, activities of selected lysosomal enzymes and activity of α1-antitrypsin (AAT) in the blood of healthy sportsmen. Eleven amateur football players aged 18 were randomly assigned to two similar 30-min aerobic cycle ergometer tests followed by a recovery at room temperature (20 °C; Experiment 1) or ice-water immersion (3 °C, 5 min; Experiment 2). Peripheral blood was collected three times during both study experiments: before (baseline), as well as 20 and 40 min after the recovery or immersion. The concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in blood plasma (plTBARS) and erythrocytes (erTBARS) were measured. The erythrocytic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were also determined. In the blood serum, the activities of acid phosphatase (AcP), arylsulphatase (ASA), cathepsin D (CTS D) and AAT were evaluated. The activities of AcP, ASA, CTS D and AAT changed similarly during both experiments. The GPx activity decreased 40 min after the exercise/recovery compared to the baseline activity and was lower than 40 min after the exercise/immersion. The exercise followed by the recovery or immersion had no significant effect on the serum lysosomal and AAT activities in the studied men. The exercise/recovery reduced the hydrogen peroxide concentration in the men's erythrocytes, however the exercise/immersion demonstrated the opposite effect.