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AbsorptionPhase 1NCT03020680

Bioavailability of Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol in Older Adults

A Phase 1 study testing Coenzyme Q10 in people with Absorption, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Coenzyme Q10 (or CoQ10) is a marketed supplement in US even though it can be synthesized in the body via complicated biochemical pathways. It exists in both reduced and oxidized states, namely ubiquinol and ubiquinone, respectively. It is commonly present in all cell membranes. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 56 to 75 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Absorption
What is being tested?
Coenzyme Q10
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
12 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Apr 2016to 17 May 2018
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 56 to 75 years
  • Men only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Males
  • Age: >55 and <76 y
  • BMI: ≥25 and <35 kg/m2
  • Willing to take the assigned supplement for 4 weeks
  • Willing to maintain dietary habit for 6 week
  • <1000 µmol/L Fe2+ plasma total antioxidant capacity determined by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power and <400 µmol/L total thiol content in plasma

Who cannot join

  • Regular use of any dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals; however, subjects who are willing to refrain from the use of these supplements for 1 mo prior to their enrollment and throughout the entire study may be considered eligible; subjects will be excluded if they are taking physician prescribed vitamin and/or mineral supplements
  • Use of medications known to affect lipid metabolism
  • Gain or loss of ≥5% of body weight in the last 6 mo
  • Impaired gastrointestinal, renal, and endocrine functions, diseases, conditions or medications influencing gastrointestinal absorption
  • Unusual dietary pattern, including vegan/vegetarian
  • Active treatment for cancer of any type longer than 1 year.
  • Daily alcoholic intake of more than 14 drinks/week (168 oz. beer, 56 oz. wine, 14 oz. hard liquor)
  • Values of standard blood biochemistries are critically abnormal based on study physician's

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Oliver Chen

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02111

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Effect of Redox Status on Bioavailability of Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol in 10 Older Adults

Coenzyme Q10 (or CoQ10) is a marketed supplement in US even though it can be synthesized in the body via complicated biochemical pathways. It exists in both reduced and oxidized states, namely ubiquinol and ubiquinone, respectively. It is commonly present in all cell membranes. The main function of CoQ10 is to participate in energy production. Further, the reduced form of CoQ10, ubiquinol, is appreciated as an important lipophilic antioxidant to protect free radical induced damages to DNA, lipid, and proteins. Given that older adults have increased production of free radicals, suboptimal antioxidant defenses toward free radicals, and a decreased capability to replenish utilized CoQ10, CoQ10 supplementation can be one of feasible ways to increase CoQ10 status in order adults. Most supplements available for consumers are in the oxidized form. While the ubiquinol form is also available, whether the reduced form will be more effective to replenish CoQ10 status in older subjects remains to be explored. Thus, investigators aimed to examine whether ubiquinol will be more effectively absorbed in older adults with a low antioxidant defense status. To pursue this aim, investigators will conduct a double blind, randomized, crossover design trail with 5 study visits (1 screening visit and 4 study visits). Ten older men (>55 y, BMI: 25-5 kg/m2) with a compromised antioxidant defenses will be recruited and complete the trial. Eligible subjects will be randomized to receive 200 mg/d ubiquinol or ubiquinone for 2 weeks with 2-week washout between crossover. Ubiquinol and ubiquinone in plasma and immune cells in blood will be assessed to reveal whether the reduced form, ubiquinol, is more absorbable than the oxidized form, ubiquinone in older adults.

Read the detailed description

Coenzyme Q10 (or CoQ10) is a marketed supplement in US even though it can be synthesized in the body via complicated biochemical pathways. It exists in both reduced and oxidized states, namely ubiquinol and ubiquinone, respectively. It is commonly present in all cell membranes. The main function of CoQ10 is to participate in energy production. Further, the reduced form of CoQ10, ubiquinol, is appreciated as an important lipophilic antioxidant to protect free radical induced damages to DNA, lipid, and proteins. Given that older adults have increased production of free radicals, suboptimal antioxidant defenses toward free radicals, and a decreased capability to replenish utilized CoQ10, CoQ10 supplementation can be one of feasible ways to increase CoQ10 status in order adults. Most supplements available for consumers are in the oxidized form. While the ubiquinol form is also available, whether the reduced form will be more effective to replenish CoQ10 status in older subjects remains to be explored. Thus, investigators aimed to examine whether ubiquinol will be more effectively absorbed in older adults with a low antioxidant defense status. To pursue this aim, investigators will conduct a double blind, randomized, crossover design trail with 5 study visits (1 screening visit and 4 study visits). Ten older men (>55 y, BMI: 25-5 kg/m2) with a compromised antioxidant defenses will be recruited and complete the trial. Eligible subjects will be randomized to receive 200 mg/d ubiquinol or ubiquinone for 2 weeks with 2-week washout between crossover. Ubiquinol and ubiquinone in plasma and immune cells in blood will be assessed to reveal whether the reduced form, ubiquinol, is more absorbable than the oxidized form, ubiquinone in older male adults.

Conditions
Absorption
Being tested
Coenzyme Q10

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Coenzyme Q10Dietary supplement

    To examine whether 200 mg/d ubiquinol for 14 days increase coenzyme Q10 status by a larger degree than 200 mg/d ubiquinone

Study groups in NCT03020680
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ubiquinolExperimentalIt is the reduced form of coenzyme Q10
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Coenzyme Q10
ubiquinoneActive comparatorIt is the oxidized form of coenzyme Q10
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Coenzyme Q10

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Concentration change of ubiquinol and ubiquinone in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

    Concentration change of ubiquinol and ubiquinone in peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after the 2-week supplementation of coenzyme Q10

    Measured: before and after the 2-week supplementation of coenzyme Q10

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Concentration change of ubiquinol and ubiquinone in plasma

    Concentration change of ubiquinol and ubiquinone in plasma before and after the 2-week supplementation of coenzyme Q10

    Measured: before and after the 2-week supplementation of coenzyme Q10

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Jan 2017 (estimated)
  2. Study start1 Apr 2016
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2017
  4. Study completion17 May 2018

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Model description
two 14-day intervention phases with a 2-week washout between each phase. randomized to receive 200mg/day ubiquinol or 200mg/day ubiquinone
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
12 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03020680
Sponsor's protocol ID
2895
Status last verified
Apr 2019
First submitted
30 Aug 2016
Last updated
23 Apr 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Zhang Y , Liu J , Chen XQ , Oliver Chen CY . Ubiquinol is superior to ubiquinone to enhance Coenzyme Q10 status in older men. Food Funct. 2018 Nov 14;9(11):5653-5659. doi: 10.1039/c8fo00971f.

    PubMed 30302465

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Coenzyme Q10 in people with Absorption, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Apr 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Concentration change of ubiquinol and ubiquinone in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (time frame: before and after the 2-week supplementation of coenzyme Q10). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03020680, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Apr 2019.

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