Anatomy & Physiology: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

The Effect of Vitamin D and E and Coenzyme Q-10 on Endothelial Function in a Young Population

Jerrold Scott Petrofsky, Michael Laymon B, Lindsay Cardinale, Hani Al-Nakhli, Joan Hermosura, Courtney Mitchell and Dennis Wilson B

Background: Oral antioxidants have been shown to improve vascular function in older individuals. It is usually assessed by the blood flow response to occlusion. In the present investigation, 2 tests of vascular function with different mechanisms were assessed after vitamin administration in young individuals.
Methods: Thirty six physical therapy students participated in a series of experiments to see if the administration of vitamins (300 mg of coenzyme Q-10, 1000 mg of vitamin C and 1000 IU of vitamin E), taken daily, would impact resting blood flow in the forearm skin and the blood flow response to 4 minutes of vascular occlusion or the response to local heat (42ºC) for 6 minutes. Vitamins were administered for 2 weeks. Half of the subjects took the vitamins and half did not.
Results: The results of the experiments showed that the resting blood flow in the skin of the forearm was nearly double in the vitamin group compared to the control group. Whereas the blood flow response to occlusion was not different between the two groups of subjects (p>0.05). The blood flow response to heat for the vitamin group peaked at 60.8 +/- 28.5 flux, and for the control group peaked at 43.6 +/- 22.6 flux, a significant difference (p <0.05).
Conclusion: The response to heat, unlike the response to occlusion, can be altered by administration of large doses of vitamins in young, fit subjects. This may be due to the fact that the response to occlusion is believed to be mediated by a different mechanism than the response of the skin blood flow to heat.