DECREASES IN SERUM UBIQUINONE CONCENTRATIONS DO NOT RESULT IN REDUCEDLEVELS IN MUSCLE-TISSUE DURING SHORT-TERM SIMVASTATIN TREATMENT IN HUMANS

Statins, which are commonly used drugs for hypercholesterolemia, inhib it 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. Important nonsterol compounds, such a s ubiquinone, are also derived from the same synthetic pathway. Theref ore it has been hypothesized that statin treatment causes ubiquinone d eficiency in muscle cells, which could interfere with cellular respira tion causing severe adverse effects. In this study we observed decreas ed serum levels but an enhancement in muscle tissue ubiquinone levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia after 4 weeks of simvastatin tre atment. These results indicate that ubiquinone supply is not reduced d uring short-term statin treatment in the muscle tissue of subjects in whom myopathy did not develop.