Brief overview on mechanism and health benefits of Coenzyme Q10.

1. COENZYME Q10
PRATHAMESH KUDALKAR
13FET1011

2. INTRODUCTION
 Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at
times to CoQ10.
 It is oil soluble in nature.
 CoQ10 is similar to vitamin K in its chemical structure but it is not considered a vitamin
because it is synthesized in the body.
 CoQ10 has a fundamental role in cellular bioenergetics as a cofactor in the mitochondrial
electron transport chain (respiratory chain) and is therefore essential for the production of
ATP.
 CoQ10 functions as a mobile redox agent shuttling electrons and also protons in the electron
transport chain.
 CoQ10 in its reduced form as the hydroquinone (called ubiquinol) is a potent lipophilic
antioxidant and is capable of recycling and regenerating other antioxidants

3. STRUCTURE
 There are three redox states of Coenzyme Q10: fully oxidized (ubiquinone), semiquinone
(ubisemiquinone), and fully reduced (ubiquinol)

6. SOURCES
SOURCES AMOUNT
(ug/g)
Beef- Heart 113
Beef- Muscle 26-40
Pork- Heart 11.8-128.2
Pork- Muscle 13.8-45
Chicken 14
Sardine 5-64
Mackerel-Red Flesh 43-67
Mackerel- White Flesh 11-16
Salmon 4-8
SOURCES AMOUNT (ug/g)
Soybean Oil 54-280
Olive 4-160
Sunflower 4-15
Peanuts 27
Walnuts 19
Broccoli 6-9
Spinach Up to 10
Avocado 10
Yogurt 2.4

7. HEALTH BENEFITS

8. CoQ10 and Diseases
 Significantly decreased levels of CoQ10 have been noted in a wide variety of
diseases in both animal and human studies.
 CoQ10 deficiency may be caused by an insufficient dietary CoQ10 intake, the
impairment in CoQ10 biosynthesis, excessive utilization of CoQ10 by the
body, or any combination of the three.
 During many diseases CoQ10 is taken up in large doses by all tissues
including the heart and brain mitochondria.
 It has been found to show beneficial effects in cardiovascular and
neurodegenerative diseases

9. CoQ10 and Cardiovascular Diseases.
 CoQ10 is known to be highly concentrated in the heart muscle cells due to the high energy
requirements of this type of cells.
 One clinical study found that people who took daily CoQ10 supplements within 3 days of a
heart attack were less likely to have subsequent heart attacks and chest pain.
 There is evidence that CoQ10 may help treat heart failure when combined with conventional
medications.
 Persons with congestive heart failure aren’t able to pump blood. This can cause blood to pool
in different parts of body, like lungs and legs. CoQ10 helps in reducing the accumulated fluid,
thus reducing swelling and making breathing easier.
 It has not been yet proved that low levels of CoQ10 cause heart failure. However, it can
definitely be used in the treatment for heart failure.

10. CoQ10 and Hypertension
 Several clinical studies involving small numbers of people suggest that
CoQ10 may lower blood pressure. However, it may take 4-12 weeks to see
any change.
 Researchers have concluded that CoQ10 has the potential to reduce the
systolic blood pressure by 17 mm and diastolic blood pressure by 10 mm,
without significant side effects.

11. CoQ10 and Cholesterol
 Higher Cholesterol levels have always been associated with low CoQ10 levels.
 CoQ10 does not directly work against high cholesterol but reduces the
intensity of the side effects of the drugs administered for high cholesterol.
 Cholesterol lowering statin drugs reduce the levels of CoQ10 in the body.
Hence, CoQ10 supplements need to be taken.
 Studies show that CoQ10 decreases the pain associated with Statin drugs.

12. CoQ10 and Peridontal Disease
 Gum disease is a common problem that causes swelling, bleeding, pain,
and redness of the gums.
 Clinical studies show that people with gum disease tend to have low
levels of CoQ10 in their gums.
 Studies found that CoQ10 supplements led to faster healing and tissue
repair, but more research is needed

13. OTHER BENEFITS
 Helps to prevent migraine
 Improves immune function in people with HIV
 Improves ability to exercise
 Anti cancer
 Anti ageing and longetivity
 Anti inflammatory (when taken with Vitamin E)
 Prevents against cataract
 Fatigue reduction

14. ABSORPTION
 Being a lipophilic substance the absorption of CoQ10 follows the same
process as that of lipids in the gastrointestinal tract.
 The uptake mechanism for CoQ10 appears to be similar to that of vitamin E,
another lipid-soluble nutrient.
 The absorption of CoQ10 is enhanced in the presence of lipids.
 The absorption of supplemental CoQ10 can be improved if ingested with a
fatty meal.

15. ABSORPTION
 Digestion helps in the release of dietary CoQ10 from the food matrix but for
supplemental CoQ10 products that are based on pure CoQ10, gastric
digestion does not appear to an important factor.
 No specific site along the small intestine has been identified for the absorption
of CoQ10.
 The efficiency of absorption of orally administered CoQ10 is poor because of
its insolubility in water, limited solubility in lipids, and relatively large molecular
weight.
 In one study with rats it was reported that only about 2–3% of orally-
administered CoQ10 was absorbed

16. COMMERCIAL SYNTHESIS
Yeast Containing
CoQ10
Extraction Purification
CrystallisationDryingPurified CoQ10

17. COMMERCIAL SYNTHESIS

18. NUTRIENT INTERACTION

19. DRUG INTERACTIONS
 Warfarin
 Warfarin is a blood thinning drug.
 Simultaneous use of warfarin (Coumadin) and coenzyme Q10 supplements has been reported to
decrease the anticoagulant effect of warfarin.
 Anthracyclines
 They are excellent anticancer drugs but they are also cardiotoxic. They cause irreversible damage
to myocardial mitochondria,
 This can be prevented by CoQ10 administration during cancer chemotherapy without
compromising their action

20. DRUG INTERACTIONS
 Statins
 Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.
 Used for controlling high cholesterol levels.
 But due to same biosynthetic pathway,
production of CoQ10 is also affected.

21. DOSAGE
 CoQ10 is available as a dietary supplement in strengths generally ranging
from 15 to 100 mg.
 In cardiovascular disease patients CoQ10 dosages generally range from 100
to 200mg a day.
 Dosages of up to 15mg/kg/day are being employed in the case of
mitochondrial cytopathy patients
 A dosage of 600 mg a day was used in the Huntington’s disease trial
 Dosage of up to 1200 mg a day was employed in the Parkinson’s disease trial.

22. SAFETY
 CoQ10 has an excellent safety record.
 There have been no reports of significant adverse side effects of oral coenzyme Q10
supplementation at doses as high as 1,200 mg/day for up to 16 months and 600 mg/day
for up to 30 months.
 1,200 mg/day has recently been proposed as the observed safe level (OSL) for coenzyme
Q10.
 At doses as high as 3000mg a day, limited to mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as
nausea and stomach upset were seen in a small number of subjects.

23. PRODUCTS
Nature’s Bounty
50mg Softgels- 75nos.
Rs. 1274
Per Softgel: Rs.17
Schwarzkopf
Hair Lotion
Rs. 850
Vitamin Shoppe
200mg Capsules- 60nos
Rs. 2762
Per Capsule: Rs.46

24. PRODUCTS

25. REFERENCES
 Coenzyme Q10- Linus Pauling Institute
 Coenzyme Q10- University of Maryland Medical Centre
 Coenzyme Q10: Absorption, tissue uptake, metabolism andpharmacokinetics- HEMMI N.
BHAGAVAN & RAJ K. CHOPRA
 Nourishing and Health Benefits of Coenzyme Q10 – a Review Martina BOREKOVÁ1, Jarmila
HOJEROVÁ, Vasiľ KOPRDA and Katarína BAUEROVÁ
 Improvement of Coenzyme Q10 Production: Mutagenesis Induced by High Hydrostatic Pressure
Treatment and Optimization of Fermentation Conditions- Yahong Yuan, Yuting Tian, and Tianli
Yue

26. THANKS!