Protective effect of coenzyme Q10 on exercise-induced muscular injury.

The effect of coenzyme Q10 administration on exercise-induced muscular injury was examined in rats. Coenzyme Q10-treated and control rats were exercised by 90 min of downhill treadmill running. A part of the animals in both groups were killed immediately after exercise and the others were 40 h postexercise. After the exercise bout, serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were elevated in the control rats, but not in the coenzyme Q10-treated rats. These enzyme activities in the latter increased to the similar level of the former 40 h postexercise. The muscle coenzyme Q10 content increased by the coenzyme Q10 treatment. These results suggest that the coenzyme Q10 treatment protected skeletal muscles against injury caused during exercise, but not against damage related with inflammatory processes after exercise.