SAEVA Congress 2018 Proceedings | 12-15 February 2018 | ATKV Goudini Spa
Although it is unknown , it is feasible , that the addition of CoQ10 to equine semen extender will enhance the quality of semen used for artificial insemination purposes .
Mare Fertility If little is known regarding the effect of antioxidant supplementation in general , and CoQ10 in particular , on stallion fertility under conditions of natural and artificial breeding , even less is known concerning mares . Decline in oocyte quality is the major contributing factor responsible for infertility with aging . Mares ’ reproductive capacity declines dramatically in their late teens as a result of an age-related decrease in oocyte quality and quantity . The primary causes of reproductive aging and the molecular factors responsible for decreased oocyte quality are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction due to decreased oxidative phosphorylation and reduced ATP production , and increased meiotic spindle abnormalities . Diminished expression of the enzymes responsible for CoQ production was observed in oocytes of older murine and human females , but this age-related decline in oocyte quality and quantity was reversed by maternal dietary supplementation with CoQ10 .
Consequently , there may be some benefit to the supplementation of diets of aging mares with CoQ10 . Other than the cost , there seems to be little downside to doing this .
Athletic Performance and Recovery from It CoQ10 is found in large amounts in skeletal muscle . In the oxidized from ( ubiquinone ), it plays a vital role as an electron carrier or acceptor in the final stage of aerobic production of ATP in the mitochondrial electron transport chain . It is regarded as an ergogenic aid , and maximal oxygen consumption ( VO 2 max ) and the time to complete fixed exercise tests have been improved in some human athletes following dietary supplementation with it . Supplementation of diets with CoQ10 in people has also been reported to prolong exercise time and distance to exhaustion . Because it is essentially a vitamin , it is not considered to be a performance enhancing agent by the World Anti- Doping Agency ( WADA ).
Comparatively little work has been done with respect to the effect of CoQ10 on equine performance . Repeated bouts of strenuous galloping exercise in the form of training and competition has been shown to reduce plasma [ CoQ10 ] in horses , and supplementation does offset these losses . Daily supplementation resulted in small (< 10 %) but significant improvement in performance in elite human athletes . However , it can take large numbers of subjects to demonstrate that changes of this magnitude are significant , and organizing such a study in fit horses would be expensive and difficult to organize . In equine competitions where 1-2 % improvement is huge , supplementing the diets of athletes may prove to be advantageous .
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