|
Heart, Liver and Kidney Research A
2005 study by Yang, et al. attempted to evaluate the effect of
administration of a high quantity of red yeast rice on coenzyme Q10
(CoQ10) synthesis in the tissues of ICR mice. Eighty-eight adult male
ICR mice were housed and divided into control and experimental groups
for red yeast rice treatment. Animals were gavaged with a low (1 g/kg
body weight) or a high dose (5 g/kg body weight, approximately five
times the typical recommended human dose) of red yeast rice dissolved
in soyabean oil. After gavagement, animals of the control group were
immediately killed; mice of the experimental groups (eight for each
subgroup) were killed at different time intervals of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4
and 24 h. The liver, heart and kidney were taken for analysis of
monacolin K (liver only) and CoQ10 analysis. Liver and heart CoQ10
levels declined dramatically in both groups administered red yeast
rice, especially in the high-dose group, within 30 min. After 24 h,
the levels of hepatic and cardiac CoQ10 were still reduced. A similar
trend was also observed in the heart, but the inhibitory effect began
after 90 min. The higher dose of red yeast rice presented a greater
suppressive effect than did the lower dose on tissue CoQ10 levels. In
conclusion, acute red yeast rice gavage suppressed hepatic and
cardiac CoQ10 levels in rodents; furthermore, the inhibitory effect
was responsive to the doses administered. (Yang HT, Lin SH, Huang SY,
Chou HJ. Br J Nutr 2005;93:131-135). |
