Effect of Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency and Dietary Cholesterol on Liver Ubiquinone Levels in the Rat

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Abstract
The influence of feeding a fat-free diet, and of the administration of cholesterol, on the metabolism of ubiquinone in rat liver was investigated. It was observed that in advanced essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency the concentration of ubiquinone was increased about twofold. Mevalonate-2-C14 incorporation experiments showed that the specific activity of liver ubiquinone was significantly reduced in EFA deficiency, but that, because of the increased amounts present, the total incorporation was similar to that in normal control animals. The biological half-life of ubiquinone in the liver of the deficient animals was approximately doubled. Administration of cholesterol in the diet resulted in a marked depression in ubiquinone concentration.