Lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and coenzyme Q10 in lung cancer patients--markers for risk assessment?

OBJECTIVES Early diagnosis and prevention is very important for lung cancer patients. Previous studies have emphasized that the level of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), present primarily in mitochondria, decreases with age and is low in patients with chronic diseases. Our goal was to find out if there is any relationship between lung cancer and CoQ10 and lipid peroxidation levels. DESIGN AND METHODS Blood samples from lung cancer patients were collected. Total and oxide CoQ10 levels, 8-OHdG (product of DNA damage), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (lipid peroxidation) were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS The MDA level (P<0.001) and DNA damage rate (8-OHdG) (P<0.001) was higher in cancer patients than in the control group; in contrast, theCoQ10 enzyme level was significantly lower (P<0.001). CONCLUSION The results suggest that the aforementioned parameters can be useful for lung cancer risk assessment.