Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation as an Adjuvant Therapy Potentially Increase Serum Superoxide Dismutase Levels in Acne Vulgaris Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris (AV) is a chronic inflammatory disease in the pilosebaceous unit. Recent research has begun to focus on the essential relationship between oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of AV. The use of antioxidants like coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) that has various advantages as adjuvant therapy is expected to be beneficial for AV. AIM: The study was aimed to analyze the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on serum SOD levels and the severity of AV patients. METHODS: A double blind-randomized controlled trial was carried out on 36 patients with AV and classified according to severity degree of AV. These patients were randomly divided into two groups (treatment group with tretinoin 0.025% cream and once-daily supplementation of CoQ10 100 mg tablet; and placebo group with tretinoin 0.025% cream and once-daily placebo tablet). Response to treatment was based on serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and AV severity degree. RESULTS: Administration of CoQ10 to AV patients significantly increase serum SOD level (p = 0.008) and improves the severity of AV after 8 weeks (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: CoQ10 supplementation can increase serum SOD levels and improve the severity of AV.

Safety and Effectiveness of Oral Nutraceuticals for Treating Acne

“…Of these, 2489 records were excluded based on title and abstract screening. Among 93 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 42 articles (3346 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure). Of the included studies, 27 (64.3%) were of poor quality, 11 (26.2%) were of fair quality, and 4 (9.5%) were of good quality (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3).…”

“…Among 93 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 42 articles (3346 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure). Of the included studies, 27 (64.3%) were of poor quality, 11 (26.2%) were of fair quality, and 4 (9.5%) were of good quality (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3). Detailed information on the included studies, including for poor-quality studies, is available in the eTable in the Supplement.…”

Enzymes for dermatological use

“…58 In this sense, some adjuvant therapies that aim to increase SOD serum levels through coenzyme Q10 supplementation for example have been used to treat acne. 33 There is no consensus on skin and blood SOD levels in vitiligo patients. A group in India reported that significantly high SOD levels were observed in active vitiligo patients compared with stable vitiligo and healthy controls.…”

“…Antioxidant enzymes have been widely studied to treat skin diseases as skin cancer, 28 vitiligo, 29 ageing‐related injuries, 30 psoriasis, 31 rosacea 32 and acne, 33 among others. Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of the general mechanism of action of antioxidant enzymes with dermatological potential.…”

“…(2009) found that ROS are rapidly produced by keratinocytes upon stimulation by Cutibacterium acnes (the aetiological agent of acne, previously named Propionibacterium acnes ) surface proteins and that SOD has a role in decreasing this effect 58 . In this sense, some adjuvant therapies that aim to increase SOD serum levels through coenzyme Q10 supplementation for example have been used to treat acne 33 . More specifically, SOD3 was shown to suppress toll‐like receptor‐2 (TLR‐2), nuclear factor κβ (NF‐κβ) and p38 expression in C. acnes .…”