Antioxidants (Jan 2021)

Ubiquinol Supplementation Improves Gender-Dependent Cerebral Vasoreactivity and Ameliorates Chronic Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

  • Sonia García-Carpintero,
  • Javier Domínguez-Bértalo,
  • Cristina Pedrero-Prieto,
  • Javier Frontiñán-Rubio,
  • Mariano Amo-Salas,
  • Mario Durán-Prado,
  • Eloy García-Pérez,
  • Julia Vaamonde,
  • Francisco J. Alcain

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10020143
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 2
p. 143

Abstract

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Ubiquinol can protect endothelial cells from multiple mechanisms that cause endothelial damage and vascular dysfunction, thus contributing to dementia. A total of 69 participants diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) received either 200 mg/day ubiquinol (Ub) or placebo for 1 year. Cognitive assessment of patients was performed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. Patients’ cerebral vasoreactivity was examined using transcranial Doppler sonography, and levels of Ub and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in plasma samples were quantified. Cell viability and necrotic cell death were determined using the microvascular endothelial cell line bEnd3. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) levels increased in patients supplemented for 1 year with ubiquinol versus baseline and the placebo group, although higher levels were observed in male patients. The higher cCoQ concentration in male patients improved cerebral vasoreactivity CRV and reduced inflammation, although the effect of Ub supplementation on neurological improvement was negligible in this study. Furthermore, plasma from Ub-supplemented patients improved the viability of endothelial cells, although only in T2DM and hypertensive patients. This suggests that ubiquinol supplementation could be recommended to reach a concentration of 5 μg/mL in plasma in MCI patients as a complement to conventional treatment.

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