CoQ10 bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell uptake improved with novel medium chain triglyceride encapsulation

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) serves as a key component of the electron transport chain. Although it can be produced endogenously, genetic mutations and drugs (e.g., statins) limit the amount absorbed, thus dietary sources provide a supplement. The hydrophobicity of CoQ10 limits its absorption during digestion. Encapsulation with medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) + phospholipid improves the water solubility of CoQ10, but the effect on bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell uptake is understudied. This study compared the bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell uptake of a powdered CoQ10 (control), as compared to equivalent doses of CoQ10 (2 mg) provided as ubiquinone encapsulated with MCTs + phospholipid in a VitaDry® and VitaSperse® product. Following sample hydration (for the control and VitaDry®) in vitro digestion was conducted. Samples were extracted and CoQ10 quantitated using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The Vita encapsulated CoQ10 was 1.4× more bioaccessible as compared to the control, with no difference between the VitaDry® and VitaSperse® products. The VitaDry® and VitaSperse® encapsulated CoQ10 was 6.0× and 5.5× better taken up by Caco-2 cells. This study demonstrates that novel MCT and phospholipid based encapsulated CoQ10 is more bioaccessible, and in vitro results support future studies to establish if it may provide a more bioavailable alternative to CoQ10 alone.