CoQ10 May Not Slow Parkinsons Progression

DRESDEN, GermanyAdministration of small doses of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) increased plasma levels of the compound in older adults with midstage Parkinsons disease (PD), however, it did not appear to slow disease progression, according to a new study in the Archives of Neurology (ePub May 14, 2007; DOI:10.1001/archneur.64.7.nct60005).

CoQ10 is an antioxidant and active agent in the mitochondria, which has led to suggestions that it may exert neuroprotective activity in disorders linked to mitochondrial defects or oxidative stress, such as PD. Previous research has suggested CoQ10 may exert protective effects in early PD, although the mechanism of action was not fully clarified.

The new study was conducted by the German Coenzyme Q10 Study Group, coordinated out of the Technical University of Dresden and set in several German movement disorder clinics. For the three-month intervention, 131 patients with midstage PD without motor fluctuations and on stable anti-Parkinson treatment were randomized to receive either a placebo or nanoparticular CoQ10 (100 mg three times daily). Patients were evaluated by the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) at baseline and once a month. Researchers used the intent-to-treat principle in analyzing the data; 106 subjects completed the study (55 in the CoQ10 group and 51 on placebo).

At studys end, the mean changes of the sum UPDRS parts II/III score were -3.69 for the placebo group and -3.33 for the CoQ10 group, which were not statistically significantly different. CoQ10 treatment was considered to be safe and well-tolerated, and increased plasma levels of the compound similar to 1,200 mg/d of standard CoQ10 formulations.

Although we demonstrated a significant increase in plasma levels of CoQ10 toward levels observed with high doses of standard CoQ10 formulations in Parkinsons disease and other disorders, our study failed to show improvement of Parkinsons disease symptoms and did not meet its primary or secondary end points, which were changes on scales that measured Parkinson's disease symptoms and their effects on physical and mental functioning, the authors wrote. Our study further demonstrated that 300 milligrams per day of nanoparticular CoQ10 is safe and well-tolerated in patients with Parkinsons disease already taking various antiparkinsonian medications.

The study was supported by a grant from the German Parkinson Association and MSE Pharmazeutika GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany, which formulated and packaged the CoQ10 and matching placebo.