Neuroprotective effects of Coenzyme Q10
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“Several clinical trials of CoQ10 have been performed in Parkinson’s disease and atypical Parkinson’s syndromes, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer disease, Friedreich’s ataxia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with equivocal findings. CoQ10 is widely available in multiple formulations and is very well tolerated with minimal adverse effects, making it an attractive potential therapy.”
Meredith Spindler, M Flint Beal, and Claire Henchcliffe. Coenzyme Q10 effects in neurodegenerative disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2009; 5: 597–610
“There is ample evidence showing involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, therefore, one would predict that agents that alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction could be beneficial and exert neuroprotective effects. Several bioenergetic agents that improve mitochondrial function including creatine, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), nicotinamide, riboflavin and lipoic acid are being tested for their neuroprotective efficacy in neurodegenerative disorders. Among them, creatine and CoQ10 are in clinical trials for PD, HD and AD.”
Rajnish K. Chaturvedi and M. Flint Beal. Mitochondrial approaches for neuroprotection. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008 December; 1147: 395–412
“…combination therapy using CoQ10 and creatine may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and HD.”
Lichuan Yang et al., Combination therapy with Coenzyme Q10 and creatine produces additive neuroprotective effects in models of Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Diseases. J Neurochemistry, 109, 5, 1427–1439, 2009
“…a synthetic analog of CoQ10, idebenone, has been investigated in clinical trials for its ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Although several smaller studies reported beneficial effects on memory and attention after several months of treatment, a larger study reported no effect in slowing disease progression.”
Magali Dumont, M. Flint Beal. Neuroprotective strategies involving ROS in Alzheimer disease. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2011, online ahead of print
“These data demonstrate that in addition to reducing intracellular deposition of A-beta, CoQ10 can also reduce plaque pathology. Our study further supports the use
of CoQ10 as a therapeutic candidate for AD.”
Xifei Yang et al., Coenzyme Q10 Reduces β-Amyloid Plaque in an APP/PS1Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Mol Neurosci (2010) 41:110–113
Abbreviations
PD: Parkinson’s disease;
HD: Huntington’s disease;
AD: Alzheimer’s disease;
A-beta – beta-Amyloid peptide