Lenaz G, Fato R, Degli Esposti M, Rugolo M, Parenti Castelli G
Drugs Exp Clin Res. 1985;11(8):547-56.
Coenzyme Q is an essential component of the respiratory chain, where it represents a mobile pool between dehydrogenases and cytochromes. The fact that Q is a free component, and its concentration is not in great excess over the Km of the respiratory complexes, renders this compound potentially rate-limiting in the respiratory chain. On the other hand, the rate of lateral diffusion of Q in the mitochondrial membrane is not a limiting step under physiological conditions. Quinoid compounds, which act as inhibitors of the respiratory chain at the level of Q, besides being useful tools for investigations of electron transfer, could be important in pathology as inhibitors of respiration.
辅酶Q是呼吸链的重要组成部分，在呼吸链中它是脱氢酶和细胞色素之间的一个流动库。Q是一种游离成分，其浓度相对于呼吸复合体的米氏常数并没有大量过剩，这使得该化合物在呼吸链中可能成为限速因素。另一方面，在生理条件下，Q在线粒体内膜中的侧向扩散速率不是一个限制步骤。醌类化合物在Q水平上作为呼吸链抑制剂，除了是研究电子传递的有用工具外，在病理学上作为呼吸抑制剂可能也很重要。
