Positive correlation between aortic valve pressure gradient and mitochondrial respiratory chain capacity in hypertrophied human left ventricle.

The effect of chronic left ventricular pressure overload on the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes was investigated in myocardial biopsies from the left ventricular apex of 13 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic valve stenosis. Transvalvular pressure gradients measured by left-sided heart catheterization ranged from 52 to 100 mmHg. The specific activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complexes I+III (antimycin A sensitive NADH cytochrome c oxidoreductase) and the myocardial concentrations of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing aortic valve pressure gradient. In contrast, the specific activities of complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase), succinate dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase, a mitochondrial matrix enzyme, showed no significant correlation with the pressure gradient. Since CoQ10 is the rate-limiting compound of the activity of complexes I+III but not of cytochrome c oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, or citrate synthase, these data suggest that the increase in the activity of complexes I+III is due to the increase in CoQ10 content.