Quinone-responsive multiple respiratory-chain dysfunction due to widespread coenzyme Q10 deficiency.

BACKGROUND: The respiratory-chain deficiencies are a broad group of largely untreatable diseases. Among them, coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) deficiency constitutes a subclass that deserves early and accurate diagnosis. METHODS: We assessed respiratory-chain function in two siblings with severe encephalomyopathy and renal failure. We used high-performance liquid chromatography analyses, combined with radiolabelling experiments, to quantify cellular coenzyme Q10 content. Clinical follow-up and detailed biochemical investigations of respiratory chain activity were carried out over the 3 years of oral quinone administration. FINDINGS: Deficiency of coenzyme Q10-dependent respiratory-chain activities was identified in muscle biopsy, circulating lymphocytes, and cultured skin fibroblasts. Undetectable coenzyme Q10 and results of radiolabelling experiments in cultured fibroblasts supported the diagnosis of widespread coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Stimulation of respiration and fibroblast enzyme activities by exogenous quinones in vitro prompted us to treat the patients with oral ubidecarenone (5 mg/kg daily), which resulted in a substantial improvement of their condition over 3 years of therapy. INTERPRETATION: Particular attention should be paid to multiple quinone-responsive respiratory-chain enzyme deficiency because this rare disorder can be successfully treated by oral ubidecarenone.

Effects of vitamin A deficiency on selected xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and defenses against oxidative stress in mouse liver.

Male and female C57B1/6 mice were rendered vitamin A-deficient, and the effects of this deficiency on certain xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and defenses against oxidative stress were examined. Vitamin A deficiency significantly increased the levels of DT-diaphorase, glutathione transferase, and catalase in the hepatic cytosolic fraction from male mice (5.2-, 1.6-, and 3.5-fold, respectively), as well as from female mice (4.8-, 3.3-, and 2.4-fold, respectively). In the hepatic mitochondrial fraction (containing peroxisomes) from male animals, the activities of urate oxidase and catalase were increased 3.4- and 1.7-fold, respectively. The activity of catalase in the mitochondrial fraction from female mice was not affected by vitamin A deficiency, whereas the activity of peroxisomal urate oxidase was increased 2.9-fold. The hepatic level of ubiquinone was increased somewhat. The significance of the increases observed here is presently unclear, but it may be speculated that vitamin A and/or its metabolites are somehow involved in the down-regulation of these proteins. Another possibility is that these enzymes are increased as a result of hepatic oxidative stress caused by vitamin A deficiency. However, vitamin A deficiency had no effect on the activity of superoxide dismutase in this study, whereas the activity of glutathione peroxidase was slightly decreased (27%) in the hepatic cytosolic fraction from male mice. In addition, the hepatic level of alpha-tocopherol was decreased dramatically in the vitamin A-deficient animals.

Blood concentration of coenzyme Q(10) increases in rats when esterified forms are administered.

Coenzyme Q levels decrease during aging in most tissues and in the target organs of a number of diseases. The uptake of this lipid into the blood and other tissues was investigated in 6-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats after 3 wk of dietary supplementation. In addition to the natural form of coenzyme Q(10), acetylated and succinylated forms were also administered. Coenzyme Q(10) was taken up into the blood, but uptake was significantly greater in rats given the succinylated ( approximately 40%), and particularly, the acetylated forms ( approximately 70%). All three forms increased significantly the total coenzyme Q concentration in both the liver ( approximately 100%) and spleen ( approximately 130%). Coenzyme Q(10) and its esterified forms were not taken up into kidney, heart, muscle or brain. Intraportal and intraperitoneal administration of succinylated coenzyme Q(10) gave results similar to those obtained in the dietary experiments. Uptake of the dietary coenzyme Q(10) into the liver and spleen did not down-regulate the endogenous synthesis, i.e., the amounts of isolated coenzyme Q(9) did not change in these tissues. Thus, esterification of coenzyme Q increases the uptake of dietary lipid into the blood; however, the derivatization does not contribute to the elevation of coenzyme Q levels in various organs.

Synthesis of mevalonate pathway lipids in fibroblasts from Zellweger and X-linked ALD patients.

Fibroblasts were cultured to determine the involvement of peroxisomes in cholesterol and dolichol synthesis. For this purpose, the behavior of cells from patients with Zellweger syndrome, with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, and from nondiseased control subjects was studied. Cells both after pretreatment with mevinolin and without pretreatment were incubated in a medium containing [3H]-mevalonate. In fibroblasts from patients with peroxisomal defects, the cholesterol content and mevalonate incorporation into cholesterol were decreased by 10-20% in comparison with control cells. Mevinolin pretreatment decreased the incorporation rate of [3H]-mevalonate into cholesterol but increased the labeling of ubiquinone and dolichol both in diseased and control cells. Squalene synthase activity was unchanged, whereas the activity of farnesyl-pyrophosphate synthase was increased in the diseased states. The results show that in patients with peroxisomal deficiency neither the amount nor the rate of synthesis of cholesterol and dolichol is reduced to any greater extent.

Glutathione transferase alpha as a marker for tubular damage after trichloroethylene exposure.

To investigate possible persistent nephrotoxic effects of trichloroethylene (TRI), a retrospective study was carried out on 39 workers exposed to high levels of TRI from 1956 to 1975. Total protein levels in urine, as well as serum and urine creatinine and serum urea were unchanged in comparison with the control. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was applied to differentiate between tubular and/or glomerular dysfunction. Urinary excretion of alpha-1-microglobulin and glutathione transferase (GST) alpha, as markers of proximal tubular damage, were correlated with the SDS-PAGE patterns of urinary proteins both in the TRI exposed and the control group. GST alpha was found in elevated concentrations in the urine of the TRI-exposed workers. No increase of urinary GST alpha was observed in the control group, even when alpha-1-microglobulin was elevated as a result of non-toxic damage. Both in the control and exposed groups, GST pi, a marker of distal tubular damage, was in the normal range. The results show that chronic exposure to high doses of TRI causes persistent changes to the proximal tubular system of the kidney and that GST alpha excretion into the urine is a marker well suited for quantitation of the extent of renal damage.

Analysis of ubiquinone and tocopherol levels in normal and hyperlipidemic human plasma.

The type and amount of lipophilic antioxidants in plasma of hyperlipidemic patients are of great importance since they play a central role in preventing deleterious oxidation of blood lipids and proteins. Isolation and quantitation of lipophilic antioxidants from hyperlipidemic plasma samples meet great obstacles because of increased levels of various intermediary lipid products. This study was designed to develop a rapid and efficient extraction and separation procedure for simultaneous analysis of ubiquinone-9 and -10 as well as alpha-, delta-, and gamma-tocopherol isomers. The levels of ubiquinone-10, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol were analyzed in human plasma samples using high-performance liquid chromatography. Lipid extraction was performed by petroleum ether/methanol/water. After phase separation, ubiquinone was reduced to ubiquinol by sodium borohydride and the lipids were separated on a C18 column. A binary gradient with solvents containing lithium perchlorate was used, and an electrochemical detector was employed for quantitation. This procedure was also efficient for the analysis of antioxidant lipids in samples containing a large number of accumulated and interfering lipid intermediates. Thus, the procedure described here is useful for efficient and rapid quantitation of ubiquinones and tocopherols in human plasma samples, especially those originating from hyperlipidemic patients.

Gemfibrozil-induced decrease in serum ubiquinone and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol levels in men with combined hyperlipidaemia.

BACKGROUND: Low blood levels of antioxidants are associated with an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease. Lipophilic antioxidants are transported in lipoproteins, and hypolipidaemic therapy may therefore alter their blood concentrations. METHODS: The present randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over study of 21 men with combined hyperlipidaemia examines whether 10-12 weeks of gemfibrozil treatment affects the serum concentrations of the antioxidants ubiquinone-10 or alpha- or gamma-tocopherol. RESULTS: Gemfibrozil treatment lowered plasma triglycerides and both total and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol (P < 0.001 for all by ANOVA), whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol increased (P < 0.001). The median serum levels of ubiquinone-10 decreased from 1.30 mumol L-1 (interquartile range 0.87-1.71 mumol L-1) with placebo to 0.76 mumol L-1 (0.66-0.95) with gemfibrozil treatment (P < 0.001). Corresponding levels for alpha- and gamma-tocopherol were: 68.5 mumol L-1 (51.1-84.7) vs. 40.8 mumol L-1 (30.3-55.0) and 8.6 mumol L-1 (5.2-16.7) vs. 4.3 mumol L-1 (3.5-7.0) respectively (P < 0.001 for both). The decrease in serum antioxidants was also evident when standardized for total cholesterol (P < 0.05) or LDL-cholesterol (P < 0.001). Normolipaemic control subjects had significantly lower antioxidant levels than placebo-treated patients: ubiquinone 0.63 mumol L-1 (0.41-1.05), alpha-tocopherol 34.3 mumol L-1 (27.3-45.6) and gamma-tocopherol 3.2 mumol L-1 (2.5-4.2) (P < 0.001 for all). The association of antioxidants with lipoprotein lipids was further established by positive correlations between the levels of antioxidants and those of total cholesterol (r = 0.64, P < 0.001) or total triglycerides (r = 0.71, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Gemfibrozil treatment of men with combined hyperlipidaemia reduces serum antioxidant levels to the levels seen in healthy normolipidaemic men. The mechanisms and the relevance of this finding remain unclear and need to be addressed in further studies.

Tricyclic antidepressant-induced lipidosis in human peripheral monocytes in vitro, as well as in a monocyte-derived cell line, as monitored by spectrofluorimetry and flow cytometry after staining with Nile red.

Human mono- and lymphocytes from peripheral blood and the monoblastoid cell line U-937 were used in this in vitro study of drug-induced lipidosis. Mono- and lymphocytes were exposed for 4 days to three different tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), imipramine (25 microM), clomipramine (10 microM) and citalopram (80 microM). The lipophilic fluorophore Nile red, which stains intracellular lipid structures selectively, was used as a lipid probe. Fluorescence microscopy, spectrofluorimetry and flow cytometry were used to detect cellular lipidosis, as verified by electron microscopy. Our results demonstrate that imipramine, clomipramine and citalopram induce lipidosis in monocytes and U-937 cells, but not in lymphocytes. An accurate quantitation of induced intracellular lipidosis can be achieved by spectrofluorimetric and flow cytometric analysis.

The lipid compositions of different regions of rat brain during development and aging.

The lipid contents in different regions of the rat brain were analyzed from birth to the age of 2 years. The total brain phospholipid content increased threefold during the first 20 postnatal days. The cholesterol content elevated extensively during the first 2 months of life and, after this period, remained unchanged. The level of dolichol increased almost 100-fold during the first 10 months of life and continued to increase thereafter. Some modifications in the dolichol isoprenoid pattern were also observed. An increase in the brain ubiquinone level occurred during the first few months of life, but no further change was observed after this period. Ubiquinone-9 and -10 constituted 70 and 30%, respectively, of the total ubiquinone in all regions and all subcellular fractions. The alpha-tocopherol content increased during the first 3 weeks of life and was unchanged thereafter. These results demonstrate characteristic changes in the lipid contents of various regions of rat brain during development and aging.

Restricted uptake of dietary coenzyme Q is in contrast to the unrestricted uptake of alpha-tocopherol into rat organs and cells.

The dietary uptake of alpha-tocopherol and coenzyme Q was investigated in rats. Rats were fed diets supplemented with alpha-tocopherol or coenzyme Q10 (1 g/kg diet) or an unsupplemented control diet. In control rat tissues, the content of coenzyme Q was 4-11 times higher than that of alpha-tocopherol, but in plasma, the ratio was reversed. Among the subcellular fractions of rat liver homogenate, Golgi vesicles and lysosomes had the highest alpha-tocopherol concentration, and high concentrations of coenzyme Q were observed in the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes as well as in lysosomes, Golgi vesicles and plasma membranes. The uptake of alpha-tocopherol into the liver and plasma reached a maximal level after only 2 d of supplementation, whereas in the kidney, heart, muscle and brain, the levels continued to increase throughout the 6-wk treatment period. In contrast, dietary coenzyme Q was taken up into the liver and plasma only, and not into the other organs. This lipid appeared mainly in the Golgi system, whereas alpha-tocopherol exhibited a more general cellular distribution. The decay of the supplied alpha-tocopherol was slow in the various organs, but the disappearance of coenzyme Q was rapid from both liver and plasma. Pretreatment of rats with alpha-tocopherol increased the levels of both endogenous and exogenous coenzyme Q in the liver and plasma. These results demonstrate that the uptake of alpha-tocopherol from the diet is an extensive and general phenomenon at both the tissue and cellular levels, in contrast to the selective and restricted uptake of coenzyme Q.

Increases in tissue levels of ubiquinone in association with peroxisome proliferation.

Rats were treated with various peroxisome proliferators and concomitant changes in ubiquinone levels were monitored. In addition to clofibrate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, acetylsalicylic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, thyroxine and dehydroepiandrosterone were used as proliferators. Administration of these compounds increased the contents of ubiquinone in liver and, to some extent, in kidney and muscle. No change in corresponding valued for heart or brain were observed. The treatments did not influence cholesterol levels, but increased the amounts of dolichol in the liver to various extents. Treatment of rats with the catalase inhibitor aminotriazole increased the ubiquinone levels in kidney, heart and muscle but not in liver. Comparison of peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation with ubiquinone amounts in liver homogenates after treatment with a number of peroxisome proliferators demonstrated a direct correlation between these two parameters. Subcellular fractionation of liver after peroxisome proliferation revealed that the ubiquinone level was increased in mitochondria and lysosomes which are the main compartments for this lipid, but an increase was also observed in both peroxisomes and microsomes. The increase in hepatic ubiquinone after treatment with various types of proliferators was related to the decrease in blood cholesterol level. These results show that the volume of the peroxisomal compartment and the ubiquinone content in animal tissues are interrelated.

Age-dependent modifications in the metabolism of mevalonate pathway lipids in rat brain.

The levels and rates of biosynthesis of mevalonate pathway lipids in rat brain were investigated during development and aging. Between birth and 18 months of age there are only moderate decreases in the phospholipid and cholesterol contents but an increase in the levels of dolichyl-P and, particularly of dolichol. The amount of ubiquinone is unchanged. The rate of incorporation of [3H]leucine into protein decreases by 10% during the first year, while the incorporation of [3H]glycerol into phospholipids decreases by 20%. The high rates of [3H]mevalonate incorporation into cholesterol and dolichol after birth decreases rapidly. In contrast, the rate of incorporation into ubiquinone is constant. Squalene synthase activity decreases rapidly in the early postnatal period and at 18 months of age this activity is 10-fold lower than immediately after birth. cis-Prenyltransferase activity is also high during the first postnatal month and reaches a constant level at 4 months of age. Significantly, nonaprenyl 4-hydroxybenzoate transferase activity is high during the entire period investigated. The rate of lipid peroxidation does not change during aging. These results demonstrate that brain cholesterol and dolichol exhibit a low rate of turnover during aging, whereas ubiquinone is synthesized at a high rate and exhibits rapid turnover throughout the entire lifespan.

ELISA procedures for the quantitation of glutathione transferases in the urine.

The proximal portion of the human kidney tubular system contains the alpha form, while the distal portion contains the pi form of glutathione transferase. These cytoplasmic proteins are released into the urine under pathological conditions, and an ELISA procedure has been developed for their quantitation. Optimal conditions with respect to concentrations of antibody and antigen and incubation times were determined. The procedure developed can detect as little as 0.5 ng enzyme per ml urine, even in the presence of high concentrations of other proteins. No cross reaction between these two isoenzymes or with a number of other proteins in the urine was observed. Antibodies interacted with these antigens in urine samples in the same manner as they interacted with the purified proteins. Storage of samples without loss of antigen required the presence of low concentrations of detergent, such as Tween 20, which both stabilized the enzymes and prevented their adsorption to the walls of the plastic tubes. The results indicate that increased urinary levels of these two enzyme proteins, as determined by the ELISA procedure, are useful markers for tubular damage.

Hepatic oxidative stress and related defenses during treatment of mice with acetylsalicylic acid and other peroxisome proliferators.

The peroxisome proliferators perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; 0.02% w/w), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA; 0.02%, w/w), nafenopin (0.125%, w/w), clofibrate (0.5%, w/w), and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; 1%, w/w) were administered to male C57 BL/6 mice in their diet for two weeks. Parameters for Fe3+ ADP, NADPH or ascorbic acid-initiated lipid peroxidation in vitro were measured. Approximately a twofold increase in susceptibility to lipid peroxidation was obtained for all the peroxisome proliferators tested. Cotreatment of mice with the peroxisome proliferator ASA (1%, w/w) and a catalase inhibitor, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (AT; 0.4%, w/w) for 7 days resulted in little inhibition of peroxisome proliferation, an elevated level of H2O2 in vivo, and total inhibition of the increased susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in vitro. No increase in lipid peroxidation in vivo was observed. Certain antioxidant enzymes (DT-diaphorase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) and components (ubiquinone and alpha-tocopherol) were also measured. The results showed that there was some induction of these antioxidant enzymes and components by ASA or aminotriazole, except for glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, which were inhibited. The possible involvement of oxidative stress in the carcinogenicity of peroxisome proliferators is discussed.

Uptake of dietary coenzyme Q supplement is limited in rats.

Coenzyme Q is an important mitochondrial redox component and the only endogenously produced lipid-soluble antioxidant. Its tissue concentration decreases with aging and in a number of diseases; dietary supplementation of this lipid would fulfill important functions by counteracting coenzyme Q depletion. To investigate possible uptake, rats were administered 12 mumol coenzyme Q10/100 g body wt once daily by gastric intubation. The appearance of coenzyme Q10 in various tissues and blood after 6 h, 4 d or 8 d was studied. The control group of rats received rapeseed-soybean oil (the vehicle in the experimental group). Lipids were extracted with petroleum ethermethanol, and the reduced and oxidized forms of coenzyme Q9 and Q10 were separated and quantified by reversed-phase HPLC. In the plasma, the total coenzyme Q concentration was doubled after 4 d of treatment. Coenzyme Q10 was also recovered in liver homogenates, where, as in the plasma, it was largely in the reduced form. Uptake into the spleen could be to a large extent accounted for by the blood content of this organ. No dietary coenzyme Q10 was recovered in the heart or kidney. The uptake in the whole body was 2-3% of the total dose. Coenzyme Q10 found in the liver was located mainly in the lysosomes. Dietary coenzyme Q10 did not influence the endogenous biosynthesis of coenzyme Q9. This is in contrast to dietary cholesterol, which down-regulates cholesterol biosynthesis. The dietary coenzyme Q10 level in the plasma decreased to approximately 50% after 4 d. These results suggest that dietary coenzyme Q10 may play a role primarily in the blood and that no appreciable uptake occurs into tissues.

Glutathione transferases in the urine: sensitive methods for detection of kidney damage induced by nephrotoxic agents in humans.

With the aid of immunohistochemical methods the localization of the various isoenzymes of glutathione S-transferase was investigated. The alpha isoenzyme was present solely in the proximal tubular cells of the human kidney, while the pi form was restricted to the distal convoluted tubules, the thin loop of Henle, and the collecting ducts. Damage to the epithelial cell membranes results in the increased excretion of these enzymes with the urine. The alpha and pi isoenzymes have been isolated in a highly purified form and used for the production of polyclonal antisera. Subsequently, radioimmunological and ELISA techniques were developed for quantitation of these proteins in the urine; the methods exhibited a high specificity and were sufficiently sensitive to determine nanogram quantities or less. Disease affecting tubular function, cyclosporine A treatment, administration of nephrotoxic antibiotics, and exposure to cadmium all resulted in characteristic changes in the pattern of the glutathione transferase isoenzymes present in urine. Such effects were seen also in patients who had previously been exposed to nephrotoxic agents, but in whom conventional tests for kidney function were apparently normal. Thus, it appears that radioimmunologic or immunochemical quantitation of alpha and pi forms of the enzyme can be used as sensitive and relatively simple markers for the early detection of toxic effects with respect to the renal tubuli.

Modulations in hepatic branch-point enzymes involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis upon dietary and drug treatments of rats.

Three branch-point enzymes of the mevalonate pathway, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, cis-prenyltransferase and squalene synthase were characterized in rat hepatic cytosol, microsomes and peroxisomes isolated from rats after treatment with peroxisome proliferators, inducers of the endoplasmic reticulum or modulators of lipid metabolism. Cholestyramine and phenobarbital induced primarily the cytosolic farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, whereas clofibrate and phthalates elevated the corresponding peroxisomal activity. cis-Prenyltransferase activities in microsomes were induced 4-5-fold after clofibrate, phthalate and phenobarbital administration, but these same treatments affected the peroxisomal activity to only a limited extent. Squalene synthase activity in microsomes was completely abolished, but the peroxisomal activity was unaffected after administration of cholesterol. On the other hand, clofibrate and phthalate induced only the microsomal activities. Mevinolin treatment greatly increased peroxisomal and cytosolic farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase activities, but not the mitochondrial activity, and the cis-prenyltransferase activities were elevated in peroxisomes, but not in microsomes. These results demonstrate that the branch-point enzymes in cholesterol and dolichol biosynthesis at various cellular locations are regulated differentially and that the capacities of peroxisomes and the endoplasmic reticulum to participate in the synthesis of polyisoprenoid lipids is affected profoundly by treatment with different xenobiotics.

Effects of clofibrate, phthalates and probucol on ubiquinone levels.

Rats were exposed through their diet to clofibrate, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate or probucol for 6 weeks and the levels of ubiquinone (UQ), cholesterol and dolichol were monitored in liver, muscle, heart, brain and blood. The levels of UQ-9 and -10 were increased by clofibrate and, in particular by phthalate administration. With the latter agent this increase in liver was fourfold, in muscle was twofold and levels in the heart and blood increased by 20%, whereas there was no change in the brain. Probucol led to a moderate decrease in the level of UQ in liver, muscle and blood, but not in heart or brain. The extent of reduction of UQ was not modified by any of the treatments employed. Probucol did not have any effect on tissue or blood cholesterol levels, whereas clofibrate or phthalate elicited a variable response, including both increases and decreases depending on the tissue analyzed. Phthalate treatment increased the dolichol content to some extent in all tissues and in blood, but the level of this lipid was not modified upon clofibrate or probucol treatment. These results demonstrate that tissue and blood levels of UQ can be increased by exposure to appropriate chemical agents without elevating the concentration of cholesterol.

Regulation of coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

The side-chain moiety of coenzyme Q is synthesized by a trans-prenyltransferase present in microsomes. Condensation of this moiety with the precursor ring takes place in the Golgi system. The enzymes involved, as well as the cytosolic geranylgeranyl-PP synthase, are regulated in an independent fashion. When the size of the farnesyl-PP pool is decreased or increased by employing appropriate inhibitors, the rate of CoQ synthesis is modified accordingly, indicating the dependence of trans-prenyltransferase activity on the level of intracellular substrate concentrations. Administration of peroxisome proliferators elevates CoQ concentrations not only in blood, but also in various tissues. Thus, it may be possible in the future to selectively increase CoQ concentrations in certain organs, without increasing the level of cholesterol.

Clofibrate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate increase ubiquinone contents without affecting cholesterol levels.

Induction studies were performed on liver, muscle, heart, brain and blood by feeding Sprague-Dawley rats a diet containing a peroxisome proliferator, clofibrate or di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate. Ingestion of these drugs resulted in an increase in the amount of two different types of ubiquinone homologues UQ9 and UQ10 found in rat. Phthalate proved to be the more effective drug, leading to a highly increased amount of ubiquinone in the liver. Increases were also found in all the above-mentioned organs except the brain. The UQ9 levels were raised to 400, 200, 120 and 120%, of the respective normal values. The antioxidant and hypolipidemic agent, probucol, was used as a control to evaluate whether the increased ubiquinone level constituted a response to the elevated hydrogen peroxide pressure, resulting from the induced increase in fatty acid beta-oxidation. In the presence of probucol, ubiquinone levels were decreased in all the above-mentioned organs except heart and brain. Probucol had limited effects on the amount of cholesterol and did not significantly alter the amount of dolichol. The two peroxisome proliferators differed in their effects on cholesterol, as well as on dolichol levels which was induced by phthalate but not by clofibrate. The possible mechanisms involved, and the importance of low toxicity drugs which could elevate ubiquinone levels in various tissues, are discussed.