Increased oxidative stress and coenzyme Q10 deficiency in juvenile fibromyalgia: amelioration of hypercholesterolemia and fatigue by ubiquinol-10 supplementation

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by generalized pain and chronic fatigue of unknown etiology. To evaluate the role of oxidative stress in this disorder, we measured plasma levels of ubiquinone-10, ubiquinol-10, free cholesterol (FC), cholesterol esters (CE), and free fatty acids (FFA) in patients with juvenile FM (n=10) and in healthy control subjects (n=67). Levels of FC and CE were significantly increased in juvenile FM as compared with controls, suggesting the presence of hypercholesterolemia in this disease. However, plasma level of ubiquinol-10 was significantly decreased and the ratio of ubiquinone-10 to total coenzyme Q10 (%CoQ10) was significantly increased in juvenile FM relative to healthy controls, suggesting that FM is associated with coenzyme Q10 deficiency and increased oxidative stress. Moreover, plasma level of FFA was significantly higher and the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in total FFA was significantly lower in FM than in controls, suggesting increased tissue oxidative damage in juvenile FM. Interestingly, the content of monoenoic acids, such as oleic and palmitoleic acids, was significantly increased in FM relative to controls, probably to compensate for the loss of PUFA. Next, we examined the effect of ubiquinol-10 supplementation (100 mg/day for 12 weeks) in FM patients. This resulted in an increase in coenzyme Q10 levels and a decrease in %CoQ10. No changes were observed in FFA levels or their composition. However, plasma levels of FC and CE significantly decreased and the ratio of FC to CE also significantly decreased, suggesting that ubiquinol-10 supplementation improved cholesterol metabolism. Ubiquinol-10 supplementation also improved chronic fatigue scores as measured by the Chalder Fatigue Scale.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of reduced coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson's disease

“…The plasma %CoQ 10 value observed in patients with PD in our study was significantly higher than controls, consistent with previous findings (Supplemental Table 2) [15]. We expected that %CoQ 10 should decrease after the supplementation of ubiquinol-10, because previous studies exploring supplementation of ubiquinol-10 in patients with trisomy 21 and juvenile fibromyalgia resulted in a decrease in %CoQ 10 [20,21]. In contrast, supplementation of ubiquinol-10 did not decrease %CoQ 10 in this study.…”

Ubiquinol-10 Supplementation Activates Mitochondria Functions to Decelerate Senescence in Senescence-Accelerated Mice

“…Ubiquinone-10 (oxidized form of CoQ10) is enzymatically reduced to ubiquinol-10 (the reduced form of CoQ10, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinol) (32,67), which acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant that effectively protects lipid membranes and lipoproteins from oxidative damage and has beneficial effects in preventing DNA damage (53). In many tissues, ubiquinol-10 biosynthesis and levels decrease with age, suggesting that ubiquinol-10 may have possible anti-aging effects (1).…”

The Deleterious Effects of Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress on Palmitoylation, Membrane Lipid Rafts and Lipid-Based Cellular Signalling: New Drug Targets in Neuroimmune Disorders

“…This coenzyme is also one of the few agents which have demonstrated objective benefits in trials involving patients with syndromic mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders [279]. The capacity to improve mitochondrial function coupled with CoQ's capacity to suppress inflammation may go some way to explaining the fatiguerelieving property of the molecule [277,280]. CoQ supplementation has demonstrated the capacity to reduce markers of oxidative stress and increase cellular antioxidant defences in a number of illness such as multiple sclerosis and coronary artery disease [281,282].…”