1. Introduction

Today, aerobic exercise has become a necessity for health, weight management, and prevention of metabolic diseases [1, 2]. These activities may lead to muscle and tissue damage, facilitate the oxidation of membrane fatty acids, and initiate a series of destructive reactions leading to cell death [3]. In such cases, the use of nutritional supplements and antioxidants is necessary to prevent injuries caused by irregular and intense sports activities. One of these supplements, whose effects have been reported in studies as an antioxidant and anti-fatigue agent, is coenzyme Q10.

However, the results of various studies showed that the effects of Q10 on the indicators of fatigue and muscle injuries are contradictory [9, 19]. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the antioxidant effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on injuries caused by exercise [9]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 14 days of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on muscle injury and fatigue indices following a period of strenuous exercise in inactive men.

2. Materials and Methods

In a semi-empirical double-blind study, consisting of two groups of complementary and placebo recipients, with repeated measurements (four blood draws), 20 inactive men (Mean age 23±2 years and Mean weight 74±2.01 kg), randomly divided into two homogenized groups receiving coenzyme Q10 supplement (2.5 mg/kg body weight, per day) and placebo (dextrose, the same amount of supplement was added during the supplementation period).

Their aerobic capacity was determined using Bruce test on a treadmill. One week later, to homogenize and determine the baseline values of the desired parameters (cortisol, creatine kinase and lactate), before starting the fourteen-day supplement, the first blood samples were taken from the right antecubital vein of all subjects in the amount of five ml. After completing the supplementation period (14 days) and before performing aerobic activity, a second blood sample was taken.

After confirming the natural distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests) and the homogeneity of the data obtained in the first stage (independent t-test), the research hypotheses were evaluated with repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni post 17 at a significance level of 0.05. In addition, the effect size of each of the interfering factors was determined using omega squared.

3. Results

The results showed that coenzyme Q10 supplementation had no significant effect on basal cortisol. In other words, coenzyme Q10 supplementation could not significantly alter basal blood cortisol. However, the increase in cortisol after debilitating aerobic activity was not significant in the coenzyme Q10 supplement group. But in the placebo group, cortisol was significantly increased after debilitating aerobic activity. Cortisol levels fell below baseline 2 hours after exercise. In other words, coenzyme Q10 supplementation can reduce the significant increase in changes in serum cortisol (stress hormone) after debilitating aerobic activity.

On the other hand, the results of ANOVA of cell damage index indicated that loading of coenzyme Q10 supplementation had no effect on serum total creatine kinase. In other words, coenzyme Q10 supplementation could not significantly alter basal blood creatine kinase. On the other hand, the results of ANOVA related to changes in blood lactate indicated that taking coenzyme Q10 supplementation could not cause a significant change in basal blood lactate. However, the increase in lactate after debilitating exercise was significantly lower than in the placebo group. In other words, the effect of the measurement steps on the incidence of changes in blood lactate was greater than the group differences. The results of independent t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the lactate levels of the supplement and placebo groups after exercise.

4. Discussion

The results of the present study showed that basal coenzyme Q10 supplementation had no effect on serum total creatine kinase. The possible mechanism of action of coenzyme Q10 as an antioxidant in reducing creatine kinase was probably that coenzyme Q10 reduced peroxidation of membrane fats and reduced damage to phospholipid membranes by removing free bases and increasing the body's antioxidant capacity, and thereby prevented the leakage and penetration of this intracellular enzyme into extracellular fluids [17, 18]. On the other hand, it was shown that basal coenzyme Q10 supplementation had no effect on blood lactate. 

The results of the present study on the increase in plasma lactate levels after debilitating aerobic activity were consistent with the results of the research of Sachek et al. (2003) [21]. In his study of healthy young and old men, Sachek showed that blood lactate increased significantly immediately after 45 minutes of running on the negative slope of the treadmill with 75% of maximum oxygen consumption; This rate was significant in the group of old people compared to the group of young men [21]. In addition, in the present study, coenzyme Q10 supplementation after aerobic exercise significantly reduced plasma lactate in the supplement group compared to placebo. Probably the reason was the increase in plasma coenzyme Q10 and the strengthening of mitochondrial coenzyme and activation of the aerobic metabolic pathway, which limits lactate production by accelerating the consumption of fatty acids and the production of adenosine triphosphate [14].

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tabriz University (Code: IRCT201203104663N).

Funding

The present paper was extracted from the MSc. thesis of the first author, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tabriz. 

Authors' contributions

Methodology, sampling: Faramarz Sardari; Data analysis: Tohid Khanvari; Conceptualization, writing – review & editing: All authors.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declared no conflict of interest. 

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the University of Urmia, especially the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, the esteemed professors, who helped us in presenting this research.

 

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