Coenzyme Q10 in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Clifford   W.   Shults

Abstract

Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone), which serves as the electron acceptor for complexes I and II of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and also acts as an antioxidant, has the potential to be a beneficial agent in neurodegenerative diseases in which there is impaired mitochondrial function and / or excessive oxidative damage. Substantial data have accumulated to implicate these processes in the pathogenesis in certain neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinsons disease, Huntingtons disease and Friedreichs ataxia. Although no study to date has unequivocally demonstrated that coenzyme Q10 can slow the progression of a neurodegenerative disease, recent clinical trials in these three disorders suggest that supplemental coenzyme Q10 can slow the functional decline in these disorders, particularly Parkinsons disease.

Keywords: coenzyme, mitochondria, antioxidant, neurodegeneration