Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a coenzyme that your body produces naturally. Your cells use it for energy generation in the form of ATP. In fact, 95% of the human body’s energy is generated this way. As you age, the levels of CoQ10 decrease. Supplementing with CoQ10 has been shown to benefit many different systems in the body. Coenzyme Q10, also known as Ubiquinone, Ubidecarenone, Coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at times to CoQ10, is a 1,4-benzoquinone, where Q refers to the quinone chemical group, and 10 refers to the number of isoprenyl chemical subunits in its tail. This oil-soluble, vitamin-like substance is present in all animal cells (hence the name ubiquinone), primarily in the mitochondria. Organs with the higest energy requirements, such as the heart, liver, and kidney, have the highest CoQ10 concentrations.
The mechanism of action for CoQ10: Almost all CoQ10 health benefits come from its cellular energy generation and antioxidant biofunctions. There are three states of CoQ10: fully oxidized (ubiquinone), semiquinone (ubisemiquinone), and fully reduced (ubiquinol). The capacity of this molecule to act as a two-electron carrier (moving between the quinone and quinol form) and a one-electron carrier (moving between the semiquinone and one of these other forms) is central to its role in the electron transport chain as a free-radical–scavenging antioxidant and also helping cellular mitochondria to produce 95% cellular ATP. ATP is the battery of cells that provide nearly all the cellular energy and thus the energy of our body.
Application of CoQ10 on cardiovascular diseases: click here for a nice review of clinical studies of CoQ10 on heart diseases.