Relative bioavailability of coenzyme Q10 formulation for paediatric individualized therapy

Conduct a preliminary comparison of the bioavailability between two formulations: commercial grade coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) powder (solid formulation) and a new oil-in-water liquid emulsion and their effect on other antioxidants.

Six healthy individuals participated in a randomized, crossover, open, consecutive design, with a 2-week washout period. Pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed after a single and multiple intakes of 250 mg CoQ10 given daily for 1 week.

The differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of maximum plasma concentration, area under the curve between 0-360 and 0-4 h, elimination half-life were statistically significant with a relative bioavailability of 489% increase over solid CoQ10 formulation. A multiple dose supplementation increased plasma CoQ10 levels in both formulations, liquid emulsion performing better (2.4- vs 3.9-fold for solid and liquid formulation, respectively) without modifications on other antioxidants. Furthermore, the plasma CoQ10 at 7th day was statistically different between formulations (P < 0.05).

The results obtained showed that liquid emulsion improves the bioavailability of CoQ10 respect to solid form which not only facilitates the individualized administration for the child but in turn could increase the therapeutic efficacy, which should be confirmed by further studies.