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Sumbalova 2022 Abstract Bioblast

From Bioblast
Sumbalová Z, Kucharská J, Rausová Z, Palacka P, Kovalčíková E, Takácsová T, Mojto V, Navas P, López-Lluch G, Gvozdjáková A (2022) Ubiquinol supplementation accelerates the recovery of mitochondrial health of patients with post COVID-19 syndrome on mountain spa rehabilitation. Bioblast 2022: BEC Inaugural Conference.

Link: Bioblast 2022: BEC Inaugural Conference

Sumbalova Zuzana, Kucharska J, Rausova Z, Palacka P, Kovalcikova E, Takacsova T, Mojto V, Navas P, Lopez-Lluch G, Gvozdjakova A (2022)

Event: Bioblast 2022

After overcoming COVID-19, some people develop a variety of mid- and long-term effects like fatigue, breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction as part of post COVID-19 condition. These symptoms might persist from the initial illness or develop after the recovery. Spa rehabilitation is recommended for patients with post COVID-19 syndrome. In our previous study deficit of CI-linked mitochondrial function and reduced endogenous coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) concentration was found in platelets of non-hospitalized, non-vaccinated patients 3 – 6 weeks after acute COVID-19 [1].

In this project we studied effects of mountain spa rehabilitation (MR) and MR combined with ubiquinol (reduced form of CoQ10) supplementation (MRQ) on pulmonary function, clinical and psychological symptoms, endogenous CoQ10 levels, and platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics of patients with post COVID-19 syndrome.

In total, 36 patients with post COVID-19 syndrome and 15 healthy volunteers (control group) were included in the study. The patients acomplished mountain spa rehabilitation in Sanatorium of Dr. Guhr in Tatranská Polianka, High Tatras, Slovakia with individual therapeutic program including special respiratory physiotherapy procedures, mental well-being, nutrition counseling and adequate exercise therapy. Fourteen patients were on mountain spa rehabilitation (MR) lasting 16 – 18 days and 22 patients were on MR with simultaneous supplementation with ubiquinol (2x100 mg/day) lasting 16 – 18 days and on ubiquinol supplementation for next 12 – 14 days after leaving the spa. Pulmonary function by 6-minute walking test (6MWT), exercise dyspnea by Borg scale (BS), oxygen saturation (SpO2) and clinical symptoms by questionnaire were evaluated before and after 16 – 18 days of MR. Platelet bioenergetics by high-resolution respirometry, plasma TBARS concentration, and CoQ10 concentration in blood, plasma and platelets were evaluated before (MR1 and MRQ1 groups) and after MR (MR2 and MRQ2 groups), and additionally in 8 patients with CoQ10 supplementation 12 – 14 days after MR (MRQ3 group).

Platelet mitochondrial Complex I (CI)-linked oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and electron transfer (ET) capacity was markedly reduced in patients with post COVID-19 syndrome vs the control group (Fig. 1). After 16 – 18 days of MR these parameters improved in both groups vs before MR. The improvement in the group of patients supplemented with ubiquinol was higher than in the non-supplemented group. CI-linked OXPHOS and ET capacity increased further after additional 12 – 14 days of CoQ10 supplementation at home (MRQ3 group).

The CoQ10 concentration markedly raised after 16 – 18 days of supplementation with ubiquinol in platelets (+60%, p <0.0001), blood (+185%, p<0.0001), and plasma (+232%, p<0.0001) reflecting high bioavailability of supplemented CoQ10. The increase of platelet mitochondrial CI-linked OXPHOS and ET capacity correlated with the increase of CoQ10 in platelets and there was a trend to positive correlation between the improvement of pulmonary function and the increase of CoQ10 in platelets.

These data show significant role of supplemented ubiquinol in acceleration of mitochondrial health regeneration in patients with post COVID-19 syndrome. Mountain spa rehabilitation with coenzyme Q10 supplementation could be recommended to the patients with post COVID-19 syndrome.

Keywords: Post COVID-19 syndrome, Lungs function, Platelets mitochondrial bioenergetics, Coenzyme Q10, Mountain spa rehabilitation Bioblast editor: Plangger M


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Affiliations and support

Sumbalová Z(1), Kucharská J(1), Rausová Z(1), Palacka P(2), Kovalčíková E(3), Takácsová T(3), Mojto V(4), Navas P(5), López-Lluch G(5), Gvozdjáková A(1)
  1. Comenius Univ in Bratislava, Fac of Medicine, Pharmacobiochemical Lab of 3rd Dept of Internal Medicine, Bratislava, Slovakia
  2. Comenius Univ in Bratislava, Fac of Medicine, 2nd Dept of Oncology, Bratislava, Slovakia
  3. Sanatorium of Dr. Guhr, High Tatras, Tatranská Polianka, Slovakia
  4. Comenius Univ in Bratislava, Fac of Medicine, 3rd Dept of Internal Medicine, Bratislava, Slovakia
  5. Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Univ Pablo de Olavide-CSIC-JA, and CIBERER, Inst de Salud Carlos III, Sevilla, Spain
This study was supported by Comenius University in Bratislava, Medical Faculty, Slovakia, Ubiquinol provided by KANEKA Pharma, Europe. We acknowledge the National Institute for Pediatric Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, n.o., Dolný Smokovec, Slovakia for collaboration; Anna Štetková and Jana Bertalanová for technical assistance. Ethics committee of Dérer’s Hospital in Bratislava, Code: 12/2021; ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05178225.

Figures

Figure 1: The effect of mountain spa rehabilitation and CoQ10 supplementation on platelet mitochondrial respiration of patients with post COVID-19 syndrome. Freshly isolated platelets (250 x 106) were used in a 2 mL chamber of an O2k-Respirometer (Oroboros Instruments, Austria) filled with mitochondrial respiration medium MiR05 with 20 mM creatine at 37°C. Substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titration protocol 1 [2] was applied. The columns show mean ± sem of the Rox-corrected respiratory capacities after titration steps indicated on the x-axis. ce: intact cells; Dig: digitonin; PM: pyruvate plus malate; ADP: adenosine diphosphate; cyt c: cytochrome c; FCCP: uncoupler; G: glutamate; S: succinate. All substrates were titrated in kinetically saturating concentrations, the uncoupler FCCP was titrated in optimum concentration to reach the maximum flux. Rox – O2 flux after digitonin. *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 vs Control; xp<0.1, +p<0.05, ++p<0.01, +++p<0.001 vs. before MR (MR1 or MRQ1).

References

  1. Sumbalová Z, Kucharská J, Palacka P, Rausová Z, Langsjoen P, Langsjoen AM, Gvozdjáková A (2022) Platelet mitochondrial function and endogenous coenzyme Q10 levels are reduced in patients after COVID-19. Bratisl Med J 123/1: 9-15. doi: 10.4149/BLL_2022_002.
  2. SUIT-001 O2 ce-pce D004

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