Protection against anthramycin-induced toxicity in mice by coenzyme Q10.

Pretreatment of Swiss Webster mice with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) markedly reduced the lethality of the antitumor antibiotic anthramycin as well as its ability to decrease ventricular weights. In tumor-bearing mice CoQ pretreatment did not produce any consistent alteration of radioactivity levels in blood, heart, tumor, lungs, kidneys, liver, muscles, brain, or spleen after [15-3H]anthramycin administration. Gross alterations in anthramycin distribution is probably not the mechanism by which CoQ alters the cardiotoxicity and lethality of anthramycin.