Coenzyme Q10 scientific update |
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S. Korean Scientists discovered Lycopene Agents in Watermelons
Last Sunday (04-07-2008), a team of South Korean scientists submitted a report of their latest research. The report states that they have successfully extracted lycopene agents from watermelons. These lycopene agents can be used in the treatment of cancer and fight against aging.
Kim Cheol-jin, a researcher at the state-run Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI), was the head of research team. According to Kim, the lycopene content in watermelons is much greater than that of tomatoes.
Lycopenes, the natural reddish coloring found in fruits and vegetables, can be used in the treatment of various types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lycopenes also have the capability to slow down the aging process.
According to Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI), current method of extracting lycopene agents can produce lycopene levels of 1-15 percent and the new method can produce lycopene levels up to 80 percent. KFRI extracted superior quality materials from the fruit and developed ideas to make use of it in food and medicine.
Kim Cheol-jin claimed that the lycopene agents produced using the old method only dissolve in oil, but the new method can produce water soluble lycopene agents. The application of lycopene agents increases when it is produced using the new method.
Currently, the global market for lycopene agents stands at around US$40 million. As of now, lycopene agents are not produced in South Korea. Kim also said that researches are going on to find a quick replacement for the conventional manufacturing processes for lycopene agents.
Pregnant Women Have To Eat As Naturally As Possible
The studies in the field of woman's health proved that one in three couples now has problems in conceiving. One in seven such couples forced to seek medical assistance for this problem. According to the researchers, out of all pregnant women at least a quarter will be unsuccessful.
Nowadays there is lots of misleading information published in the internet and you will definitely get some unreliable advice from the family members and friends. All these things will certainly make you in trouble.
A simple guide named ‘Getting Pregnant Faster’ has been introduced by Dr Marilyn Glenville, the president of the Royal Society of Medicine and the UK's leading expert in woman's health.
Here is some of the information from the guide:
Food and Fertility:
Dr Marilyn Glenville suggests to take clean and natural food as much as possible.
She also recommends to take organic food as much as you can and to use natural skincare products instead of skincare products containing xeno-oestrogens or 'gender- bender' chemicals which are obtained from the plastics and pesticide industry.
The use of skincare products containing xeno-oestrogens or 'gender- bender' may cause negative effect on fertility in male and increases the occurrence of fibroids and endometriosis in women.
During the preconception period, a natural, healthy and balanced diet will certainly increase the probability for getting pregnant and having a healthy baby. This also helps you in maintaining the sugar level and body weight.
According to Dr Marilyn Glenville, if you do not maintain your sugar level and body weight the reproductive hormones which manage your fertility will not work appropriately. A healthy, naturally obtained, balanced fresh diet is the key factor of Dr Marilyn’s fertility-boosting plan.
Super Supplements:
According to Dr. Marilyn, zinc is the right choice for both men and women. It helps to improve the sperm count in men and make the head of the sperm much harder. Zinc can directly make changes on sex hormones in both males and females.
She also recommends the usage of vitamin C. As it is an antioxidant, it can prevent DNA damage which affects chromosomes and the risk of miscarriage or damaged sperm. Marilyn suggests amino acids and the co-enzyme Q10 for men. The use of amino acids is for sperm maturity and co-enzyme Q10 is to power the sperm.
Mitochondrion. 2007 Mar 31;
Lenaz G, Fato R, Formiggini G, Genova ML.
Dipartimento di Biochimica, Universita di Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
The role of Coenzyme Q in mitochondrial electron transport.
The function of Coenzyme Q in mitochondrial electron transport. In mitochondria, most Coenzyme Q is free in the lipid bilayer; the question as to whether tightly bound,
non-exchangeable Coenzyme Q molecules exist in mitochondrial complexes is still an open question. We review the
mechanism of inter-complex electron transfer mediated by ubiquinone and discuss the kinetic consequences of the
supramolecular organization of the respiratory complexes (randomly dispersed vs. super-complexes) in terms of
Coenzyme Q pool behavior vs. metabolic channeling, respectively, both in physiological and in some pathological
conditions. As an example of intra-complex electron transfer, we discuss in particular Complex I, a topic that is
still under active investigation.
Mitochondrion. 2007 Mar 27;
Bhagavan HN, Chopra RK.
Tishcon Corporation, 30 New York Avenue, P.O. Box 331, Westbury, NY 11590, USA.
Plasma coenzyme Q10 response to oral ingestion of coenzyme Q10 formulations.
The true picture of plasma coenzyme Q10 response to oral ingestion of coenzyme Q10 formulations.
Plasma coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) response to oral ingestion of various CoQ10 formulations was examined. Both total
plasma CoQ10 and net increase over baseline CoQ10 concentrations show a gradual increase with increasing doses of
CoQ10. Plasma CoQ10 concentrations plateau at a dose of 2400mg using one specific chewable tablet formulation. The
efficiency of absorption decreases as the dose increases. About 95% of circulating CoQ10 occurs as ubiquinol, with
no appreciable change in the ratio following CoQ10 ingestion. Higher plasma CoQ10 concentrations are necessary to
facilitate uptake by peripheral tissues and also the brain. Solubilized formulations of CoQ10 (both ubiquinone and
ubiquinol) have superior bioavailability as evidenced by their enhanced plasma CoQ10 responses.
Mitochondrion. 2007 Mar 27;
Littarru GP, Langsjoen P.
Institute of Biochemistry, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Via Ranieri, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
Coenzyme Q(10) and statins: Biochemical and clinical implications.
Biochemical and clinical implications of coenzyme Q(10) and statins.
Statins are drugs of known and undisputed efficacy in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, usually well tolerated
by most patients. In some cases treatment with statins produces skeletal muscle complaints, and/or mild serum CK
elevation; the incidence of rhabdomyolysis is very low. As a result of the common biosynthetic pathway Coenzyme Q
(ubiquinone) and dolichol levels are also affected, to a certain degree, by the treatment with these HMG-CoA
reductase inhibitors. Plasma levels of CoQ(10) are lowered in the course of statin treatment. This could be related
to the fact that statins lower plasma LDL levels, and CoQ(10) is mainly transported by LDL, but a decrease is also
found in platelets and in lymphocytes of statin treated patients, therefore it could truly depend on inhibition of
CoQ(10) synthesis. There are also some indications that statin treatment affects muscle ubiquinone levels, although
it is not yet clear to which extent this depends on some effect on mitochondrial biogenesis. Some papers indicate
that CoQ(10) depletion during statin therapy might be associated with subclinical cardiomyopathy and this situation
is reversed upon CoQ(10) treatment. We can reasonably hypothesize that in some conditions where other CoQ(10)
depleting situations exist treatment with statins may seriously impair plasma and possible tissue levels of
coenzyme Q(10). While waiting for a large scale clinical trial where patients treated with statins are also
monitored for their CoQ(10) status, with a group also being given CoQ(10), physicians should be aware of this
drug-nutrient interaction and be vigilant to the possibility that statin drugs may, in some cases, impair skeletal
muscle and myocardial bioenergetics.
J Card Fail. 2006 Aug;12(6):464-72.
Sander S, Coleman CI, Patel AA, Kluger J, White CM.
University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA.
The impact of coenzyme Q10 on systolic function in patients with chronic heart failure.
The effect of coenzyme Q10 on systolic functions of a patient with chronic heart failure BACKGROUND: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an endogenous cofactor in the mitochondrial energy production. CoQ10 has been touted to improve heart failure, but its effect on systolic function is controversial. Several small, randomized controlled trials evaluating CoQ10 showed variable results and were largely underpowered. We conducted a meta-analysis of these trials to evaluate the impact of CoQ10 therapy on ejection fraction and cardiac output. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify randomized, controlled trials of CoQ10 in heart failure between 1966 and June 2005. Subgroup analysis was conducted to assess clinical heterogeneity between trials. Of the 11 trials identified, 10 evaluated ejection fraction (n = 277) and 2 evaluated cardiac output (n = 42). Doses ranged from 60 to 200 mg/day with treatment periods ranging from 1 to 6 months. There was a 3.7% net improvement in ejection fraction (95% CI 1.59-5.77; P < .00001 for statistical heterogeneity). A more profound effect among patients not receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was observed (6.74% [95% CI 2.63-10.86]). Cardiac output increased an average of 0.28 L/minute (95% CI 0.03-0.53; P = .96 for statistical heterogeneity). CONCLUSION: CoQ10 enhances systolic function in chronic heart failure, but its effectiveness may be reduced with concomitant use of current standard therapies.
Ann Pharmacother. 2005 Apr;39(4):712-20. Epub 2005 Mar 1.
Richard CL, Jurgens TM.
Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Effects of natural health products on blood pressure.
The role of natural health products in patients with high blood pressure OBJECTIVE: To review the scientific literature to identify reports of the effects of natural health products (NHPs) on blood pressure. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases (MEDLINE [1965-May 2004] via PubMed, the Cochrane Library [1995-May 2004], International Pharmaceutical Abstracts [1970-May 2004], Iowa Drug Information Services [1965-May 2004]) were searched using the key words medicine, herbal plants, medicinal plant preparations, phytotherapy, angiosperms/therapeutic use, gymnosperms/therapeutic use, ethnopharmacology, pharmacognosy, blood pressure, hypertension, hypotension, and diuretic. Searches were not limited by date, language, or publication type. Review articles and texts, as well as reference lists of relevant articles, were used to identify additional reports. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Articles (English-language after 1980) were assigned to the following categories: human study, case report, animal study, in vitro study, or theoretical prediction based on chemical constituents. Discussions of mechanisms of action were noted. DATA SYNTHESIS: A comprehensive search of the scientific literature identified NHPs capable of affecting blood pressure. Case reports and clearly defined mechanisms of action provided strong evidence for the ability of ephedra and licorice to increase blood pressure. Coenzyme Q(10) was reported to decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure, although the mechanism is unclear. The clinical significance of the blood pressure effects of other NHPs is unclear due to lack of conclusive in vivo data, as well as substantial variability in the chemical content of preparations of NHPs. CONCLUSIONS: Among published information, there is little definitive evidence with regard to the impact of NHPs on blood pressure. Additionally, effects may vary in a given patient with the formulation and standardization of a particular product. Until research better characterizes the effect of NHPs on blood pressure, patients should be encouraged to talk with their healthcare provider before starting or stopping any herbal product.
Exp Gerontol. 2004 Feb;39(2):189-94.
Quiles JL, Ochoa JJ, Huertas JR, Mataix J.
Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada, Ramon y Cajal 4. (Edif. Fray Luis de Granada), Granada 18071, Spain.
Coenzyme Q supplementation protects from age-related DNA double-strand breaks and increases lifespan in rats fed on a PUFA-rich diet.
The study on the rats fed with a PUFA-rich diet states that Coenzyme Q supplementation protects age-related DNA double-strand breaks and increases the lifespan.
This study investigates the usefulness of a long-term supplementation with coenzyme Q(10) in rats from the point of view of lifespan, DNA double-strand breaks and to assess whether this supplementation might attenuate oxidative alterations related to PUFA-rich diets, which would allow to preserve beneficial aspects of PUFA on health avoiding their deleterious aspects. Supplemented animals showed higher concentration of coenzyme Q(10) in liver mitochondria, lower levels of DNA double-strand breaks in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Animals supplemented on coenzyme Q reached a significantly higher mean life span (11,7% higher, i.e. 2,5 months) and a significantly higher maximum life span (24% higher, i.e. 6 months) than non-supplemented animals. These results suggest that a long-term supplementation with a small dosage of coenzyme Q(10) might represent a good anti-aging therapy in rats fed on a PUFA-based diet.
Coenzyme Q10 description...
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Drug category:Antioxidants and Vitamines
 Coenzyme Q10 scientific update
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