The Single-dose Absorption of Different CoQ10 Product Types Into the Lymph Compared to That Transported to the Blood

Abstract

Context: The science of the metabolism of CoQ10 before and after its absorption into the blood is well known. Almost nothing is known about the absorption of CoQ10 into the lymph.

Objective: The study intended to measure and compare the single-dose absorption of three CoQ10 product formulations-crystal-free ubiquinone, crystalline ubiquinol, and a dry-powder ubiquinone-into the abdominal lymph duct as compared to their absorption into the blood circulation.

Design: The researcher designed an animal study.

Animals: The animals were six large dogs (>50 Kg).

Intervention: By gastric gavage, the dogs were given a 100-mg dose of either crystal-free ubiquinone (Q-Best), crystalline ubiquinol (Qunol), or dry-powder ubiquinone, and lymph and venous samples (5 ml) were collected.

Outcome measures: The primary end-point measurements for three CoQ10 product types were the concentration (Cmax), time of Cmax (Tmax), and total CoQ10 absorbed into the lymph and that transported to the blood.

Results: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) crystals were found in the dry powder and crystalline ubiquinol formulations. No crystals were found in the crystal-free formulation. Crystals from both the crystalline and dry-powder formulations were found in the small intestine's chyme. After ingestion of a 100-mg dose of CoQ10 formulation, the group mean absorption into the lymph peaked in 2 hours for all three formulations, and the peak appearance (Cmax) in the blood occurred at 6 hours. The absorption was significantly (P ≤ .001) greater for the crystal-free formulation compared to that of the crystalline and dry-powder formulations measured in the lymph and plasma.

Conclusions: These data show that the crystal-free formulation's absorption is superior to that found for the other two formulations. These results show that CoQ10 crystals are the causative factor for the poor absorption of CoQ10. The delayed appearance in the blood is due to the slow lymph flow delivering CoQ10 to the blood. The absorption of CoQ10 may not be as poor as described in the literature.