Below is a selection of interesting publications from the past year on CoQ10.
- Mizuno K, Tanaka M, Nozaki S, Mizuma H, Ataka S, Tahara T, Sugino T, Shirai T, Kajimoto Y, Kuratsune H, Kajimoto O, Watanabe Y. Antifatigue effects of coenzyme Q10 during physical fatigue. Nutrition. 2008 Feb 11 [Epub ahead of print]
- Kon M, Tanabe K, Akimoto T, Kimura F, Tanimura Y, Shimizu K, Okamoto T, Kono I. Reducing exercise-induced muscular injury in kendo athletes with supplementation of coenzyme Q10. Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 20;:1-7 [Epub ahead of print]
This study reported serum creatine kinase, myoglobin and lipid peroxide levels to be increased after 1 week of intense physical exercise (5.5 hours/day). These parameters, indicative of muscular injury and general oxidative stress, were significantly lower in athletes who had taken 300 mg CoQ10/day for 20 days.
- Kon M, Kimura F, Akimoto T, Tanabe K, Murase Y, Ikemune S, Kono I. Effect of Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on exercise-induced muscular injury of
rats. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2007;13:76-88.
- Young JM, Florkowski CM, Molyneux SL, McEwan RG, Frampton CM, George PM, Scott RS. Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on simvastatin-induced myalgia. Am J Cardiol. 2007;100:1400-1403.
CoQ10 supplementation did not improve statin tolerance or myalgia in this study. The increases in the myalgia scores reported for the statin-treated patients were small, possibly too small to observe a benefit with CoQ10 supplementation. There was no evidence of statin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, on the basis of unaltered lactate/pyruvate ratio.
- Caso G, Kelly P, McNurlan MA, Lawson WE. Effect of coenzyme Q10 on myopathic symptoms in patients treated with statins. Am J Cardiol. 2007;99:1409-1412.
This is the first double-blind study where patients taking statins and presenting myopathic symptoms, were supplemented with CoQ10 (100 mg/day) or vitamin E (400 IU/day). Pain severity and pain interference with daily activities significantly decreased in the group treated with CoQ10 while no changes occurred in patients receiving vitamin E.
- Marcoff L, Thompson PD. The role of coenzyme Q10 in statin-associated myopathy: a systematic review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;49:2231-2237.
This is a systematic review primarily addressing the relationship between statin treatment and CoQ10 levels. While statins unequivocally lowers circulating levels of CoQ10, the effect of the therapy on intramuscular CoQ10 levels is not clear. Data on the effect of CoQ10 on myopathic symptoms are scarce. This paper concludes that there is insufficient evidence to prove the etiologic role of CoQ10 deficiency in statin-associated myopathy. It is also stated that “Coenzyme Q10 supplementation is a simple, attractive therapy that requires an appropriately powered and randomized trial to determine whether CoQ10 eliminates or reduces statin myalgia in symptomatic patients”.
- Littarru GP, Langsjoen P. Coenzyme Q10 and statins: biochemical and clinical implications. Mitochondrion. 2007;7 Suppl:S168-S174.
- Kawashiri MA, Nohara A, Tada H, Mori M, Tsuchida M, Katsuda S, Inazu A, Kobayashi J, Koizumi J, Mabuchi H, Yamagishi M. Comparison of Effects of Pitavastatin and Atorvastatin on Plasma Coenzyme Q10 in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Results From a Crossover Study. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Oct 24; [ahead of print]
- Tavintharan S, Ong CN, Jeyaseelan K, Sivakumar M, Lim SC, Sum CF.
Reduced mitochondrial coenzyme Q10 levels in HepG2 cells treated with high-dose simvastatin: a possible role in statin-induced hepatotoxicity? Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2007;223:173-179.
- Molfino A, Aversa Z, Fanelli FR, Muscaritoli M, Costelli P, Baccino FM. Statins, coenzyme Q10, and cachexia: what's the link? Am J Cardiol. 2007;100:1497-1498.
This letter provides new insight into the pathogenic role of CoQ10 deficiency in disease and drug-associated myopathies.
- Mabuchi H, Nohara A, Kobayashi J, Kawashiri MA, Katsuda S, Inazu A, Koizumi J; Hokuriku Lipid Research Group. Effects of CoQ10 supplementation on plasma lipoprotein lipid, CoQ10 and liver and muscle enzyme levels in hypercholesterolemic patients treated with atorvastatin: a randomized double-blind study. Atherosclerosis. 2007;195:e182-e189.
- Yang X, Yang Y, Li G, Wang J, Yang ES. Coenzyme Q10 Attenuates beta-Amyloid Pathology in the Aged Transgenic Mice with Alzheimer Presenilin 1 Mutation. J Mol Neurosci. 2008;34:165-171.
- Miles MV, Patterson BJ, Chalfonte-Evans ML, Horn PS, Hickey FJ, Schapiro MB, Steele PE, Tang PH, Hotze SL. Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol-10) supplementation improves oxidative imbalance in children with trisomy 21. Pediatr Neurol. 2007;37:398-403.
This is the first study to indicate that the pro-oxidant state in plasma of children with trisomy 21, as assessed by the ratio of reduced CoQ10/total CoQ10, may be normalized with ubiquinol-10 supplementation.
- Ochoa JJ, Quiles JL, López-Frías M, Huertas JR, Mataix J. Effect of lifelong coenzyme Q10 supplementation on age-related oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in liver and skeletal muscle of rats fed on a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich diet. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2007;62:1211-8.
CoQ10 treatment can extend the lifespan of some animals fed a PUFA-rich diet. This study shows that rats fed a PUFA-rich diet, when also supplemented with CoQ10, undergo a decrease in hydroperoxide levels and liver and skeletal muscle mitochondria.
- Schmelzer C, Lindner I, Vock C, Fujii K, Döring F. Functional connections and pathways of coenzyme Q10-inducible genes: an in-silico study. IUBMB Life. 2007;59:628-633.
- Nucci C, Tartaglione R, Cerulli A, Mancino R, Spanò A, Cavaliere F, Rombolà
L, Bagetta G, Corasaniti MT, Morrone LA. Retinal damage caused by high intraocular pressure-induced transient ischemia is prevented by coenzyme Q10 in rat. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2007;82:397-406.
- Tiano L, Belardinelli R, Carnevali P, Principi F, Seddaiu G, Littarru GP. Effect of coenzyme Q10 administration on endothelial function and extracellular superoxide dismutase in patients with ischaemic heart disease: a double-blind, randomized controlled study. Eur Heart J. 2007;28:2249-55.
This study shows that CoQ10 increases extra-cellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) bound to the endothelium, as assessed by the amounts of enzyme displaced by heparin. Patients with coronary artery disease have decreased levels of EC-SOD, and EC-SOD is thought to protect blood vessels against oxidant-induced damage. The study showed a positive correlation between percentage increase in the EC-SOD and flow-mediated dilation in patients with ischemic heart disease and treated with CoQ10. The beneficial effect of CoQ10 was significant in the subpopulation with low basal EC-SOD.
- Cadoni G, Scipione S, Agostino S, Addolorato G, Cianfrone F, Leggio L,
Paludetti G, Lippa S. Coenzyme Q10 and cardiovascular risk factors in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients. Otol Neurotol. 2007;28:878-883.
- Quinzii CM, Hirano M, DiMauro S. CoQ10 deficiency diseases in adults.
Mitochondrion. 2007;7 Suppl:S122-S126.
- Yuvaraj S, Premkumar VG, Vijayasarathy K, Gangadaran SG, Sachdanandam P. Ameliorating effect of coenzyme Q10, riboflavin and niacin in tamoxifen-treated postmenopausal breast cancer patients with special reference to lipids and lipoproteins. Clin Biochem. 2007;40:623-628.
- Premkumar VG, Yuvaraj S, Vijayasarathy K, Gangadaran SG, Sachdanandam P. Effect of coenzyme Q10, riboflavin and niacin on serum CEA and CA 15-3 levels in breast cancer patients undergoing tamoxifen therapy. Biol Pharm Bull. 2007;30:367-370.
Supplementation with CoQ10, riboflavin and niacin in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen decreases the serum tumor marker level, suggesting that the supplement could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and metastasis.
- Gempel K, Topaloglu H, Talim B, Schneiderat P, Schoser BG, Hans VH, Pálmafy B, Kale G, Tokatli A, Quinzii C, Hirano M, Naini A, DiMauro S, Prokisch H, Lochmüller H, Horvath R. The myopathic form of coenzyme Q10 deficiency is caused by mutations in the electron-transferring-flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) gene. Brain. 2007;130:2037-2044.
- Hershey AD, Powers SW, Vockell AL, Lecates SL, Ellinor PL, Segers A, Burdine
D, Manning P, Kabbouche MA. Coenzyme Q10 deficiency and response to supplementation in pediatric and adolescent migraine. Headache. 2007;47:73-80.
- DiMauro S, Quinzii CM, Hirano M. Mutations in coenzyme Q10 biosynthetic genes. J Clin Invest. 2007;117:587-589.
- Rosenfeldt FL, Haas SJ, Krum H, Hadj A, Ng K, Leong JY, Watts GF.
Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials. J Hum Hypertens. 2007;21:297-306.
- Pepe S, Marasco SF, Hass SJ, Sheeran FL, Krum H, Rosenfeldt FL.
Coenzyme Q10 in Cardiovascular Disease. Mitochondrion 2007; 7S, S154-S167.
