ubiquinone and Pain

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterised by chronic widespread pain alongside fatigue, poor sleep quality and numerous comorbidities. It is estimated to have a worldwide prevalence of 1.78%, with a predominance in females. Treatment interventions for fibromyalgia have limited success, leading to many patients seeking alternative forms of treatment, including modifications to their diet and lifestyle. The effectiveness of dietary changes in fibromyalgia has not been widely researched or evaluated. This systematic review identified twenty-two studies, including 18 randomised control trials (RCTs) and four cohort studies which were eligible for inclusion. In total these studies investigated 17 different nutritional interventions. Significant improvements in reported pain were observed for those following a vegan diet, as well as with the low fermentable oligo di-mono-saccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diets. Supplementation with

Topics: Acetylcarnitine; Ascorbic Acid; Chlorella; Diet, Vegan; Dietary Supplements; Fermented Foods; Fibromyalgia; Humans; Nigella sativa; Pain; Phytotherapy; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Seeds; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone; Vitamin E

Statins are effective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. While most side effects of statins are mild and transient, muscular symptoms are relatively common (5 to 10% of patients), but rarely serious (myositis, rhabdomyolysis). In cases of myopathy, the severity of symptoms and the determination of CK (creatine kinase) determine whether discontinuation of statin is necessary. Alternative strategies are also suggested. This article reviews suggestions on the management of these complaints that are a challenge in clinical practice.

Topics: Age Factors; Aged, 80 and over; Algorithms; Anticholesteremic Agents; Azetidines; Biopsy; Cardiovascular Diseases; Creatine Kinase; Ezetimibe; Female; Humans; Life Style; Male; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscular Diseases; Myositis; Pain; Primary Prevention; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Retrospective Studies; Rhabdomyolysis; Secondary Prevention; Sex Factors; Ubiquinone

Chemical compounds that contain the vanillyl moiety (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) are collectively classified as vanilloids. Vanilloid phytochemicals can be found in a variety of sources, some of which are routinely consumed by humans throughout the world. The dietary and/or medicinal use of vanilloids may be effective in inhibiting or reversing carcinogenesis, which has sparked a considerable interest in these compounds as potential chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents. Certain vanilloids are also valuable as pharmacological tools for investigating neurobiology, and have been proven effective in alleviating neurogenic pain and inflammation. Recently several vanilloids have demonstrated the ability to induce apoptosis in various cell types. Vanilloids can interact with proteins and membranes to initiate pleiotropic effects, some of which are potentially cytotoxic. Certain vanilloids bind to cation channels on nociceptive sensory neurons to regulate Ca(2+) uptake, which can promote neurotoxicity resulting in apoptosis and necrosis. Furthermore, some vanilloids appear to interfere with enzymatic processes in the plasma membrane and the mitochondria by functioning as coenzyme Q antagonist. This can promote reactive oxygen species production and/or the disruption of redox homeostasis resulting in apoptosis. This review will examine the cellular targets, cytotoxic effects, and the downstream effector mechanisms associated with vanilloid-induced apoptosis.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Benzaldehydes; Cell Membrane; Humans; Neurons, Afferent; Pain; Reactive Oxygen Species; Receptors, Drug; Ubiquinone

We hypothesized that the addition of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to pregabalin might be helpful in improving symptoms in patients suffering from painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).. One hundred twelve patients with PDN were randomly allocated to receive CoQ10 + pregabalin (57 patients) or placebo + pregabalin (55 patients). Besides pregabalin (150 mg/day), the patients, upon their group assignment, received CoQ10 at a dosage of 100 mg every 8 h or matched placebo for 8 consecutive weeks. The primary efficacy measure was the changes in the pain intensity from baseline to endpoint measured on an 11-point NRS (numeric rating scale). Secondary efficacy measures included the changes in the pain-associated sleep interference score (SIS) as well as the patients' global improvement with treatment measured on the Clinicians' and Patients' Global Impression of Change (CGIC/PGIC).. On the intent‑to‑treat population (ITT) analysis, the CoQ10 + pregabalin regimen resulted in significantly greater pain relief than the placebo + pregabalin regimen. By the end of week 2, the decrease in the mean pain NRS score was similar in both groups, but at the end of weeks four and eight, the decrease in the mean pain NRS score was significantly greater in patients taking CoQ10 + pregabalin than in those taking placebo + pregabalin (p value = 0.01 and < 0.001, respectively). Likewise, at the end of week 8, the decrease in the pain-associated SIS was significantly greater in the patients supplemented with CoQ10 compared to placebo. Furthermore, the proportion of the responder patients (those having ≥ 50% decline in the mean pain NRS score) as well as the proportion of patients rated ''very much'' or ''much improved'' on the CGIC/PGIC scales were also significantly higher in the CoQ10 + pregabalin-treated patients than placebo + pregabalin-treated patients.. Our data support the idea that diabetic patients suffering from PDN may benefit from using antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplements like CoQ10. However, further studies are required before supplementation with CoQ10 can be recommended for treating PDN.. The trial was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (identifier code: IRCT20120215009014N385). Registration date: 2021-02-21.

Topics: Analgesics; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetic Neuropathies; Double-Blind Method; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Humans; Iran; Pain; Pregabalin; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone

Although coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation has shown to reduce pain levels in chronic pain, the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on pain, anxiety, brain activity, mitochondrial oxidative stress, antioxidants, and inflammation in pregabalin-treated fibromyalgia (FM) patients have not clearly elucidated. We hypothesised that CoQ10 supplementation reduced pain better than pregabalin alone

Topics: Adult; Brain; Double-Blind Method; Female; Fibromyalgia; Humans; Inflammation; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Male; Middle Aged; Mitochondria; Oxidative Stress; Pain; Positron-Emission Tomography; Pregabalin; Ubiquinone

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex condition, characterized by severe disabling fatigue with no known cause, no established diagnostic tests, and no universally effective treatment. Several studies have proposed symptomatic treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) supplementation. The primary endpoint was to assess the effect of CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation on age-predicted maximum heart rate (max HR) during a cycle ergometer test. Secondary measures included fatigue, pain and sleep.. A proof-of-concept, 8-week, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in 80 CFS patients assigned to receive either CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation or matching placebo twice daily. Maximum HR was evaluated at baseline and at end of the run-in period using an exercise test. Fatigue, pain and sleep were evaluated at baseline, and then reassessed at 4- and 8-weeks through self-reported questionnaires.. The CoQ10 plus NADH group showed a significant reduction in max HR during a cycle ergometer test at week 8 versus baseline (P = 0.022). Perception of fatigue also showed a decrease through all follow-up visits in active group versus placebo (P = 0.03). However, pain and sleep did not improve in the active group. Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH was generally safe and well tolerated.. Our results suggest that CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation for 8 weeks is safe and potentially effective in reducing max HR during a cycle ergometer test and also on fatigue in CFS. Further additional larger controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings. Clinical trial registrationThis trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02063126.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Endpoint Determination; Exercise Test; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; NAD; Pain; Sample Size; Sleep; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone; Young Adult

Treatment of hypercholesterolemia with statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) is effective in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, statin use is often associated with a variety of muscle-related symptoms or myopathies. Myopathy may be related in part to statin inhibition of the endogenous synthesis of coenzyme Q10, an essential cofactor for mitochondrial energy production. The aim of this study is to determine whether coenzyme Q10 supplementation would reduce the degree of muscle pain associated with statin treatment. Patients with myopathic symptoms were randomly assigned in a double-blinded protocol to treatment with coenzyme Q10 (100 mg/day, n = 18) or vitamin E (400 IU/day, n = 14) for 30 days. Muscle pain and pain interference with daily activities were assessed before and after treatment. After a 30-day intervention, pain severity decreased by 40% (p <0.001) and pain interference with daily activities decreased by 38% (p <0.02) in the group treated with coenzyme Q10. In contrast, no changes in pain severity (+9%, p = NS) or pain interference with daily activities (-11%, p = NS) was observed in the group treated with vitamin E. In conclusion, results suggest that coenzyme Q10 supplementation may decrease muscle pain associated with statin treatment. Thus, coenzyme Q10 supplementation may offer an alternative to stopping treatment with these vital drugs.

Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Biomarkers; Cholesterol, LDL; Coenzymes; Creatine Kinase; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Hypercholesterolemia; Male; Middle Aged; Muscular Diseases; Pain; Pain Measurement; Patient Compliance; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Triglycerides; Ubiquinone; Vitamin E; Vitamins

Topics: Aged; Double-Blind Method; Fatigue; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Muscular Diseases; Pain; Ubiquinone

Topics: Adult; Aged; Avitaminosis; Clinical Trials as Topic; Gingival Diseases; Gingival Hyperplasia; Gingivitis; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oral Hemorrhage; Pain; Periodontal Diseases; Periodontitis; Placebos; Pruritus; Tooth Mobility; Ubiquinone

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the neuropathic pain. Mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, and inflammation demonstrated in chronic pain. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is the first-line drug for TN, however, it is still insufficient. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been used as the additional supplement for pain therapy. Nonetheless, mitochondrial respiratory proteins, oxidative stress, and inflammation in TN, and the add-on effects of CoQ10 on those defects have never been investigated. CBZ-treated TN-patients, naïve TN-patients, and control subjects were included. CBZ-treated TN-patients were randomised into two subgroups, received either CoQ10 or placebo for 2 months. Pain levels were evaluated, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated to determine the oxidative stress, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), and cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA expression. Pain scales, oxidative stress, and OXPHOS levels were greater in naïve TN-patients than control, whereas the cytokine profiles were unchanged. Although pain scales were lower in CBZ-treated TN-patients than in naïve TN-patients, oxidative stress, OXPHOS, and cytokine expression profiles were not different. PGC-1α levels found to be increased in CBZ-treated TN patients when compared with the naïve group. CoQ10 supplement in CBZ-treated TN patients reduced pain scale and oxidative stress and increased antioxidants levels when compared with placebo group. However, OXPHOS, PGC-1α, and cytokines were not different between groups. These findings suggest that increased oxidative stress could be potentially involved in the pathogenesis of TN. CoQ10 supplements can reduce oxidative stress, leading to more effective pain reduction in TN patients being treated with CBZ.

Topics: Carbamazepine; Cytokines; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Proteins; Oxidative Stress; Pain; Pain Management; Phosphorylation; Trigeminal Neuralgia; Ubiquinone

Topics: Administration, Oral; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Animals; Antioxidants; Astrocytes; Curcumin; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; Humans; Hyperalgesia; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Microglia; Neurons; Neuropeptides; Nociception; Oxidative Stress; Pain; Reactive Oxygen Species; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn; Ubiquinone

To investigate the effect of CoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10) on pain severity and cartilage degeneration in an experimental model of rat osteoarthritis (OA).. OA was induced in rats by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) to the knee. Oral administration of CoQ10 was initiated on day 4 after MIA injection. Pain severity was assessed by measuring secondary tactile allodynia using the von Frey assessment test. The degree of cartilage degradation was determined by measuring cartilage thickness and the amount of proteoglycan. The mankin scoring system was also used. Expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-15, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrotyrosine and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) were analyzed using immunohistochemistry.. Treatment with CoQ10 demonstrated an antinociceptive effect in the OA animal model. The reduction in secondary tactile allodynia was shown by an increased pain withdrawal latency and pain withdrawal threshold. CoQ10 also attenuated cartilage degeneration in the osteoarthritic joints. MMP-13, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-15, iNOS, nitrotyrosine and RAGE expressions were upregulated in OA joints and significantly reduced with CoQ10 treatment.. CoQ10 exerts a therapeutic effect on OA via pain suppression and cartilage degeneration by inhibiting inflammatory mediators, which play a vital role in OA pathogenesis.

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Cartilage; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation; Inflammation; Iodoacetic Acid; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 13; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; Receptors, Immunologic; Ubiquinone

Topics: Anticholesteremic Agents; Attitude to Health; Blood Pressure; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Muscle Cramp; Pain; Ubiquinone; Vitamins

Topics: Coenzymes; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Muscular Diseases; Pain; Ubiquinone

Topics: Anticholesteremic Agents; Antioxidants; Coenzymes; Exercise; Humans; Muscular Diseases; Pain; Ubiquinone

Fifty consecutive new cardiology clinic patients who were on statin drug therapy (for an average of 28 months) on their initial visit were evaluated for possible adverse statin effects (myalgia, fatigue, dyspnea, memory loss, and peripheral neuropathy). All patients discontinued statin therapy due to side effects and began supplemental CoQ(10) at an average of 240 mg/day upon initial visit. Patients have been followed for an average of 22 months with 84% of the patients followed now for more than 12 months. The prevalence of patient symptoms on initial visit and on most recent follow-up demonstrated a decrease in fatigue from 84% to 16%, myalgia from 64% to 6%, dyspnea from 58% to 12%, memory loss from 8% to 4% and peripheral neuropathy from 10% to 2%. There were two deaths from lung cancer and one death from aortic stenosis with no strokes or myocardial infarctions. Measurements of heart function either improved or remained stable in the majority of patients. We conclude that statin-related side effects, including statin cardiomyopathy, are far more common than previously published and are reversible with the combination of statin discontinuation and supplemental CoQ(10). We saw no adverse consequences from statin discontinuation.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anticholesteremic Agents; Cardiomyopathies; Coenzymes; Dyspnea; Fatigue; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Male; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Muscular Diseases; Pain; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Prospective Studies; Ubiquinone

Topics: Adult; Aged; Coenzymes; Female; Heart Diseases; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Pain Management; Ubiquinone