Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble molecule found in cell membranes, especially the inner mitochondrial membrane. It transfers electrons during cellular respiration and can act as an antioxidant.

Ubiquinone: The oxidized form of coenzyme Q that accepts electrons and protons in membranes. Coenzyme Q10 cycles through this oxidized form as it carries electrons.
Mitochondrion: A membrane-bound cell organelle that produces much of the cell’s ATP through respiration. The inner mitochondrial membrane is a major site of coenzyme Q10 activity.
Coenzyme Q10 deficiency: A rare condition in which coenzyme Q10 levels are insufficient because of genetic or other causes. It is the clearest clinical setting in which restoring coenzyme Q10 is a direct treatment goal.
Coenzyme Q9: A coenzyme Q molecule with nine isoprenoid units in its side chain, common in rodents. It is the predominant coenzyme Q form in many rodents, unlike human coenzyme Q10.
Ubiquinol: The reduced form of coenzyme Q that can donate electrons and neutralize lipid radicals. This reduced form accounts for much of coenzyme Q10’s antioxidant action.
Cellular respiration: The process by which cells extract energy from nutrients and capture much of it in ATP. Coenzyme Q10 transfers electrons in the respiratory pathway that powers ATP synthesis.
Primary mitochondrial disease: A disorder caused by defects in genes that impair mitochondrial structure or function. Coenzyme Q10 biosynthesis defects can cause a treatable subset of these diseases.
Cytochrome c: A small heme protein that carries electrons from complex III to complex IV in mitochondria. It carries electrons in the same chain but is a water-soluble protein, not a membrane quinone.
Electron transport chain: A series of membrane protein complexes that transfer electrons and help generate a proton gradient. Coenzyme Q10 carries electrons between complexes within this larger system.
Mevalonate pathway: A metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol and other isoprenoid molecules from acetyl-CoA. It supplies the isoprenoid side chain used to build coenzyme Q10.

Linked from 4 pages