CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10)

CoQ10 is the electron shuttle of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (from complexes I and II to complex III) and a fat-soluble antioxidant in all cell membranes. Organs with high energy turnover such as the heart, kidneys, liver and muscles contain particularly large amounts of CoQ10. Statins inhibit the body's own CoQ10 synthesis via the same HMG-CoA pathway. Measurable in OM Vital and in the nitrostress panel.

What CoQ10 does in the body

CoQ10 is a fat-soluble molecule with a chain of ten isoprene units – hence the '10' in its name. With this chain it sits in the middle of cell membranes and can move freely within them. In the mitochondria it shuttles between the enzyme complexes of the respiratory chain and carries electrons; it also takes up electrons from further enzymes, for example from fatty acid breakdown and from making the DNA building blocks called pyrimidines. In all other membranes, including the lipoproteins in the blood, the reduced form protects fatty acids from oxidation and regenerates used-up vitamin E. Organs with high energy turnover such as the heart, kidneys, liver and muscles contain particularly large amounts of CoQ10.

Low CoQ10 – what happens in the body?

A deficiency affects two tasks at once: the respiratory chain works more slowly, and the membranes are less well protected against oxidation. Fatty acids in cell and mitochondrial membranes are oxidised more easily, vitamin E is used up faster, and LDL particles become more susceptible to oxidation. Because the heart, kidneys and muscles need the most CoQ10, they react first – with reduced exercise capacity, muscle pain and muscle weakness. A distinction is made between a rare inherited deficiency, in which production itself is impaired, and an acquired deficiency, which occurs with statins, with disorders of the mitochondria, with malnutrition and with high consumption due to oxidative stress, among other things.

High CoQ10 – what does it mean?

A high value almost always results from taking CoQ10. CoQ10 is absorbed from the gut only slowly and incompletely and is then distributed in the blood with the lipoproteins. The tissues take it up from the blood only to a limited extent, the brain hardly at all – a high blood level therefore does not necessarily mean that the heart or muscles also contain more CoQ10. An overload with consequences for metabolism is not known.

The interpretation is given in your report.