Transport Route of Absorbed CoQ10 to the Systemic Circulation

The transport route and medium of CoQ10 from the site of absorption to the general circulation is controversial. Some state that CoQ10 is absorbed across the intestinal epithelial cells, enter the capillary blood in the microvillus and is transported through the liver before entering the central circulation. Others state that CoQ10 is absorbed across the epithelial cells diffused into the lymph vessels in the microvillus and transported by the lymph to the liver before entering the systemic circulation. Others state the lymph transports CoO10 through the abdominal and thoracic lymph ducts and empties it in the subclavian vein.


In this study the route of CoQ10 transport from the intestines to the central circulation was determined in pigs (N=6) of equal ages and weight (42.6 ± 4.6 kg).

Under general anesthesia button catheters were surgically implanted into the middle mesenteric vein draining the small intestines, the femoral vein, and the mid portions of the abdominal and thoracic lymph ducts. All catheters were stabilized, exteriorized and filled with heparinized saline solution and sealed. After five days the pigs were fasted and rested over- night. On the day of the studies the pigs were stabilized in a sling apparatus and control samples taken form all catheters. The pigs were then given 100mg of dissolved CoQ10 in soybean oil in a meal of 500mg warm of skim milk in a mixture of corn meal.
 
Samples were taken from each sample site at one hour intervals for 10 hours. Samples were rapidly chills and centrifuged. The lymph or plasma were removed and frozen at -50 degrees centigrade.  The CoQ10...