Coenzyme Q10 be measured in blood plasma, these measurements reflect dietary intake rather than tissue status. Currently, most clinical centers measure CoQ levels in cultured skin fibroblasts, muscle biopsies, and blood mononuclear cells. Culture fibroblasts can be used also to evaluate the rate of endogenous CoQ biosynthesis, by measuring the uptake of C-labelled "p"-hydroxybenzoate. CoQ shares a biosynthetic pathway with cholesterol. The synthesis of an intermediary precursor of CoQ, mevalonate, is inhibited by some beta blockers, blood pressure-lowering medication, and statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins can reduce serum levels of CoQ by up to 40%. CoQ is not approved by
Discovery and development of statins Asp and the O5 hydroxyl group of the hydroxyglutartic acid component of the statins. Van der Waals interactions are formed between the hydrophobic side chains of the enzyme, which involve the Leu, Val, Leu, Ala and Leu and the statins. Type 2 statins form polar interaction between the fluorine atom on the fluorophenyl group and the guanidinium group of Arg. In addition to these interactions atorvastatin and rosuvastatin also form unique hydrogen bonds between Ser residue and either a carbonyl oxygen atom (atorvastatin) or a sulfone oxygen atom (rosuvastatin). A unique polar interaction between the Arg side chain and the