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Health News Archive 292 - Alzheimer's Disease
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CoQ10 Protects Against Alzheimer’s

Coenzyme Q10 protects against the neuro-toxic effects of amyloid beta peptides, a pathological characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.

Amyloid beta peptides impair mitochondrial function and increase oxidative stress, leading to toxic effects on the nervous system. Because CoQ10 is both a potent antioxidant and a cofactor in mitochondrial energy production, researchers sought to determine whether it blocks amyloid beta peptide-induced neuro-toxicity.

Since both aging and diabetes are associated with an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the investigators utilized aged diabetic rats for their experiments. Following treatment with coenzyme Q10, brain mitochondria from the test subjects were isolated. In parallel control experiments, the research team utilized mitochondria from healthy rats. In the lab, the scientists exposed the rat mitochondria to amyloid beta peptides, and assessed the effects on energy production and oxidative stress.

In the control group, amyloid beta peptides led to a significant decrease in mitochondrial energy production, as well as increased production of reactive oxygen species, a source of oxidative stress. CoQ10 treatment, however, attenuated the amyloid beta peptide-induced decline in energy production and increase in oxidative stress. The rats treated with CoQ10 were thus significantly more resistant to the neurotoxic effects of amyloid beta peptides than were the untreated rats.

CoQ10 appears to counteract the alterations in brain mitochondria caused by amyloid beta peptides, and thus may help to avert the energy deficiency and oxidative stress that characterizes both diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Given the decline in CoQ10 with aging, the cumulative effects of oxidative stress, and the irreversibility of neural damage, especially in diabetics, the researchers strongly recommend the use of supplemental coenzyme Q10 for enhanced protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

Reference
Moreira PI, Santos MS, Sena C, Nunes E, Seica R, Oliveira CR. CoQ10 therapy attenuates amyloid beta-peptide toxicity in brain mitochondria isolated from aged diabetic rats. Exp Neurol. 2005 Nov;196(1):112-9.