Main description:

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of research on the essential relationship of the coenzyme Q10 and the process of aging in living organisms. CoQ10 is an important factor in two main aspects of cell physiology: bioenergetics and antioxidant protection. While primary deficiency of CoQ10 is associated with severe and lethal disease, secondary deficiency can be associated with the progression of mitochondrial dysfunction linked to the lessening of biological activities during aging.

The book is organized in four sections. The first offers an overview of the function of CoQ10, highlighting the two main functions of CoQ10 in cells: its essential role as electron transport chain member in mitochondria, and the protection of cell membranes against oxidation as one of the main endogenous-synthesized antioxidants.

The second section covers research on Coenzyme 10. Topics include studies involving invertebrate models, mammal studies and the influence of CoQ on longevity. Also covered is research involving the role of CoQ in senescence-accelerated mice.

Section three examines the effects of reduced CoQ in human aging, as evident in mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative disorders, immunosenescence and fertility and reproduction.

The final section, Prolongevity effectors and Coenzyme Q, explores research into slowing or stopping the aging process. Coverage includes strategies including calorie restriction, and modulation of CoQ10 levels by induction of synthesis or by supplementation.

Coenzyme Q in Aging benefits a broad readership of researchers, clinicians, educators and students interested in the biochemical and physiological effects of coenzyme Q and the importance of this molecule in aging process.

Contents:

Part 1. Basics on coenzyme Q

1. Introduction. The current coenzyme Q science and knowledge

Placido Navas

2. Molecular structure, biosynthesis, and distribution of coenzyme Q

Luis Vazquez-Fonseca, Isabel Gonzalez-Mariscal and Carlos Santos Ocana

3. Coenzyme Q function in mitochondria

Maria Luisa Genova and Giorgio Lenaz

4. Extramitochondrial coenzyme Q10 in aging

Guillermo Lopez Lluch

5. Regulation of the synthesis of Coenzyme Q10

Maria Victoria Cascajo Almenara and Guillermo Lopez Lluch

Part 2. Coenzyme Q in aging studies.

6. Coenzyme Q and aging in C. elegans

Claudio Asencio Salcedo

7. Coenzyme Q and aging in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Daniel Jose Moreno Fernandez-Ayala and Alberto Sanz

8. The aging process and coenzyme Q: clk-1 mouse models

Mayumi Takahashi, Kazuhide Takahashi and Takuji Shirasawa

9. Reduced coenzyme Q10 decelerates senescence and age-related hearing loss in senescence-accelerated mice by activating mitochondrial functions

Jinko Sawashita, Xu Zhe and Keiichi Higuchi

Part 3. Age-related diseases and coenzyme Q.

10. Coenzyme Q, mtDNA and mitochondrial dysfunction during aging

Jose Luis Quiles, Alfonso Varela-Lopez, Maria Dolores Navarro-Hortal and Maurizio Battino

11. Coenzyme Q10 and metabolic syndrome

Juan Diego Hernandez-Camacho

12. Coenzyme Q and age-related neurodegenerative disorders: Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases

Francisco J. Alcain, Javier Dominguez, Mario Duran-Prado and Julia Vaamonde

13. Immunosenescence and CoQ10

Juan Diego Hernandez-Camacho, Catherine Meza-Torres and Guillermo Lopez-Lluch

14. Coenzyme Q10 in fertility and reproduction

Diana Vaamonde, Antony C. Hackney, Carolina Algar-Santacruz, Maria Jose Garcia-Moreno and Juan Manuel Garcia-Manso

Part 4. Prolongevity effectors and Coenzyme Q.

15. Calorie restriction, longevity and coenzyme Q

Maria Isabel Buron, Cristina Parrado, Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Reyes, Lucia Fernandez del Rio, Elena Gutierrez-Casado, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Sandra Rodriguez-Lopez and Jose Manuel Villalba.

16. Age dependent changes of coenzyme Q levels and its induction in experimental systems

Magnus Bentinger, Gustav Dallner, Kerstin Brismar, Ewa Swiezewska and Michael Tekle

17. Effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on elderly people

Elena M. Yubero-Serrano, Francisco M. Gutierrez-Mariscal, Jose Lopez-Miranda,