24-hour follow-up study of plasma coenzyme Q10, total antioxidant capacity and selected blood parameters after a single oral dose of water-soluble coenzyme Q10 in healthy beagle dogs

Coenzyme Q (CoQ10) is one of the most promising compounds in antioxidant therapy, due to its key role in mitochondria and its antioxidant action. It has been shown to have positive effects in the treatment of many diseases in humans. In contrast, there are only a limited number of studies and experimental data on CoQ10 supplementation in dogs. In the present study, changes of plasma CoQ10, serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and selected haematological and biochemical parameters were followed over 24 hours in healthy beagle dogs, following the administration of a single oral dose of 30 mg of water-soluble CoQ10. Correlations between plasma CoQ10 and serum TAC, and between TAC and albumin, a potent plasma antioxidant, were also investigated. A statistically significant increase of plasma CoQ10 was demonstrated as early as 20 minutes after CoQ10 administration, with a peak value four hours after administration. Contrary to expectation, simultaneous increases of plasma CoQ10 and TAC were not observed, however, a positive, statistically significant correlation between the latter two parameters was observed one hour after the administration of CoQ10 (p = 0.011), indicating a contribution of CoQ10 to the TAC of canine serum. The correlation, now close to statistical significance (p = 0.052), remained when plasma CoQ10 reached its peak value. The positive, statistically significant correlations between albumin and serum TAC, determined at basal measurements and 40 minutes and 1, 4 and 6 hours later, indicate a significant contribution of albumin to the TAC of canine serum. Selected haematological and biochemical parameters over 24 hours showed the diurnal variations normally found in dogs. Further investigation is needed to establish the influence of long-term CoQ10 supplementation on TAC in dogs.