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R Huertas

Publications and source records attributed to R Huertas.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Respiratory chain enzyme activities in lymphocytes from untreated patients with Parkinson disease.

Respiratory chain enzyme activities were studied in lymphocytes from patients with Parkinson disease (PD) (n = 16) and age-matched control subjects (n = 15). The patients had received no therapy before the study was conducted. Complex I, III, and IV activities were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in patients than in control subjects. A complex I defect was found in one patient, whereas complex IV was defective in another. Two patients had combined defects of both complexes. The use of lymphocytes for investigating the respiratory chain enzymes provides an easy, noninvasive method to assess mitochondrial function in patients with PD. Furthermore, our study supports the hypothesis that a biochemical defect in the respiratory chain may be involved in the pathogenesis of PD.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Respiratory chain enzymes in muscle of endurance athletes: effect of L-carnitine.

The effects of L-carnitine on respiratory chain enzymes in muscle of long distance runners were studied in 14 athletes. These subjects received placebo or L-carnitine (2 g orally b.i.d.) during a 4-week period of training. Athletes receiving L-carnitine showed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in the activities of rotenone-sensitive NADH cytochrome c reductase, succinate cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase. In contrast, succinate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase were unchanged. No significant changes were observed after placebo administration. The levels of both total and free carnitine from athletes receiving placebo were significantly decreased (p < 0.01) after treatment. By contrast, total and free carnitine levels were markedly increased (p < 0.01) after supplementation with L-carnitine. Our results suggest that L-carnitine induces an increase of the respiratory chain enzyme activities in muscle, probably by mechanisms involving mitochondrial DNA.

Analysis of Variance↗