The Role of Coenzyme Q10 in Modern Medicine: Insights into Energy Metabolism and Antioxidant Therapy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2025.37.57174Keywords
Coenzyme Q10, Mitochondrial Function, Oxidative Stress, Cardiovascular Health, Neurological Diseases, Antioxidant TherapyAbstract
Background: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a key component of mitochondrial energy production and a potent antioxidant, plays an essential role in addressing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Its applications span cardiovascular health, infectious diseases, neurological conditions, reproductive health, and fatigue management. However, gaps remain in understanding its optimal dosing, long-term impact, and efficacy across diverse health conditions.
Methods: This review synthesized findings from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and observational studies. A systematic search of PubMed and ScienceDirect was conducted, selecting studies based on methodological rigor and relevance to CoQ10’s mechanisms, efficacy, and safety.
Results: CoQ10 supplementation reduced cardiovascular mortality, alleviated migraine symptoms, improved mitochondrial function, and decreased oxidative stress. Promising but inconclusive evidence supports its role in managing statin-induced myopathy and enhancing reproductive outcomes. CoQ10 was consistently shown to be safe and well-tolerated.
Conclusion: CoQ10 demonstrates significant therapeutic potential across several health conditions. Its antioxidant and bioenergetic benefits are well-documented, but further research is needed to refine dosing strategies and evaluate long-term effects. CoQ10 remains a promising complementary therapy for modern health challenges.
References
Ahmad, K., Manongi, N. J., Rajapandian, R., Moti Wala, S., Al Edani, E. M., Samuel, E. A., & Arcia Franchini, A. P. (2024). Effectiveness of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Statin-Induced Myopathy: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 16(8), e68316. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.68316
Al Saadi, T., Assaf, Y., Farwati, M., Turkmani, K., Al-Mouakeh, A., Shebli, B., Khoja, M., Essali, A., & Madmani, M. E. (2021). Coenzyme Q10 for heart failure. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (2)(2), CD008684. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008684.pub3
Brown, A. M., & McCarthy, H. E. (2023). The Effect of CoQ10 supplementation on ART treatment and oocyte quality in older women. Human fertility (Cambridge, England), 26(6), 1544–1552. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647273.2023.2194554
Castro-Marrero, J., Domingo, J. C., Cordobilla, B., Ferrer, R., Giralt, M., Sanmartín-Sentañes, R., & Alegre-Martín, J. (2022). Does Coenzyme Q10 Plus Selenium Supplementation Ameliorate Clinical Outcomes by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?. Antioxidants & redox signaling, 36(10-12), 729–739. https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2022.0018
Castro-Marrero, J., Segundo, M. J., Lacasa, M., Martinez-Martinez, A., Sentañes, R. S., & Alegre-Martin, J. (2021). Effect of Dietary Coenzyme Q10 Plus NADH Supplementation on Fatigue Perception and Health-Related Quality of Life in Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 13(8), 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082658
Chen, W., Ochs-Balcom, H. M., Ma, C., Isackson, P. J., Vladutiu, G. D., & Luzum, J. A. (2022). Coenzyme Q10 supplementation for the treatment of statin-associated muscle symptoms. Future cardiology, 18(6), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.2217/fca-2021-0106
Dahri, M., Sarafan Sadeghi, A., Pahlavani, N., Nattagh-Eshtivani, E., Hashemilar, M., Asghari-Jafarabadi, M., Barghchi, H., & Tarighat-Esfanjani, A. (2023). The Effects of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Oxidative Status and Lipid Profile in Migraine Patients: A Randomized Double-Blinded Controlled Clinical Trial. Clinical nutrition research, 12(4), 257–268. https://doi.org/10.7762/cnr.2023.12.4.257
Di Lorenzo, A., Iannuzzo, G., Parlato, A., Cuomo, G., Testa, C., Coppola, M., D'Ambrosio, G., Oliviero, D. A., Sarullo, S., Vitale, G., Nugara, C., Sarullo, F. M., & Giallauria, F. (2020). Clinical Evidence for Q10 Coenzyme Supplementation in Heart Failure: From Energetics to Functional Improvement. Journal of clinical medicine, 9(5), 1266. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9051266
Dohlmann, T. L., Kuhlman, A. B., Morville, T., Dahl, M., Asping, M., Orlando, P., Silvestri, S., Tiano, L., Helge, J. W., Dela, F., & Larsen, S. (2022). Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Statin Treated Patients: A Double-Blinded Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 11(9), 1698. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091698
Fladerer, J. P., & Grollitsch, S. (2023). Comparison of Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) and Reduced Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinol) as Supplement to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Reduce Cardiovascular Mortality. Current cardiology reports, 25(12), 1759–1767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-023-01992-6
Haghdoost, F., & Togha, M. (2022). Migraine management: Non-pharmacological points for patients and health care professionals. Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland), 17(1), 1869–1882. https://doi.org/10.1515/med-2022-0598
Kennedy, C., Köller, Y., & Surkova, E. (2020). Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on statin-associated myalgia and adherence to statin therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Atherosclerosis, 299, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2020.03.006
Nie, X., Dong, X., Hu, Y., Xu, F., Hu, C., & Shu, C. (2023). Coenzyme Q10 Stimulate Reproductive Vatality. Drug design, development and therapy, 17, 2623–2637. https://doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S386974
Rabanal-Ruiz, Y., Llanos-González, E., & Alcain, F. J. (2021). The Use of Coenzyme Q10 in Cardiovascular Diseases. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 755. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10050755
Rauchová H. (2021). Coenzyme Q10 effects in neurological diseases. Physiological research, 70(Suppl4), S683–S714. https://doi.org/10.33549/physiolres.934712
Rodríguez-Varela, C., & Labarta, E. (2020). Clinical Application of Antioxidants to Improve Human Oocyte Mitochondrial Function: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(12), 1197. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9121197
Rodríguez-Varela, C., & Labarta, E. (2021). Does Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation Improve Human Oocyte Quality?. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(17), 9541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22179541
Saha, S. P., & Whayne, T. F., Jr (2016). Coenzyme Q-10 in Human Health: Supporting Evidence?. Southern medical journal, 109(1), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000393
Sifuentes-Franco, S., Sánchez-Macías, D. C., Carrillo-Ibarra, S., Rivera-Valdés, J. J., Zuñiga, L. Y., & Sánchez-López, V. A. (2022). Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Infectious Diseases. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(3), 487. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030487
Tsai, I. C., Hsu, C. W., Chang, C. H., Tseng, P. T., & Chang, K. V. (2022). Effectiveness of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation for Reducing Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Frontiers in pharmacology, 13, 883251. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.883251
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mateusz Górski, Adrianna Załęska, Mateusz Bychowski, Julia Kwaśna, Izabela Kaźmierczyk, Kacper Lenart, Michał Homza, Natalia Zakrzewska, Szymon Bednarek, Joanna Kulicka
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 45
Number of citations: 0