Coenzyme Q10: why is it so important?

Fight against heart failure, support against hypertension but also support for treatments against diabetes or even complement chemotherapy: it seems that coenzyme Q10 is present everywhere.
This feeling is also reinforced for those who verify its etymology.
Indeed, the second name for coenzyme Q10 is “ubiquinone” (the root of which is found in the word “ubiquity”, to describe a situation of omnipresence).
From the stomach to the heart, via the liver, coenzyme Q10 is in fact mobilized at all levels by our body to carry out a myriad of tasks.
It is therefore no surprise that more and more nutricosmetic brands are choosing to capitalize on the potential of this active ingredient.
In the anti-aging field, ubiquinone is used mainly for two of its properties:

• Its anti-oxidant effects;
• Its role in cellular metabolic reactions relating to the production of energy by the body.

We often hear consumers of food supplements based on coenzyme Q10 say that they notice a boost in vitality, that their physical performance seems to improve more quickly during training, and that their skin gains suppleness and firmness. .

But what exactly explains the effectiveness of this ingredient now described as “anti-aging”?

The MyPureSkin team guides you through the twists and turns of your mitochondria, in pursuit of coenzyme Q10!

Anatomy and missions: where and how do ubiquinone and the mitochondria operate?

A molecule with antioxidant properties, reacting with fatty acids (fat-soluble), ubiquinone is present in many living organisms.
And for good reason: it is one of the essential components of the mitochondria, responsible for cellular respiration in most eukaryotic cells (red blood cells being, for example, a notable exception).
This helps explain that ubiquinone plays a key role in various aspects of energy metabolism in species that can be very different, such as:

• Human being:
• The chimpanzee;
• Drosophila (fly).

For its part, a real machine for producing energy that can be stored and used by our cells, the mitochondria is a cellular organelle specific to eukaryotic organisms (living beings made up mainly of cells with a nucleus).

Also, to understand the functions of ubiquinone, it is necessary to take a detour through the twists and turns of the mitochondria within our cells.

The mitochondrion: the essential missions of a vital cellular organelle

If the organelles of the cytosol (content of the cell) each have one or more functions which make them essential, the mitochondria still occupies a very special place. Indeed, the mitochondrion is responsible for key tasks such as:

• Converter of energy forms for the consumption of the cell to which it belongs;
• Signaling of the type of cell in which it is integrated
• Essential contributor to the differentiation process of the cell that houses it;
• Collaborator in the processes at the beginning of life (birth by division) and at the end of life (death by apoptosis) of the cell in which it lives.

To fulfill each of these missions, the mitochondria mobilizes its resources, namely:

• A particular architecture;
• A unique composition.

Relationships between mitochondrial anatomy and role of ubiquinone

To fully understand the role and life cycle of ubiquinone, it is necessary to look at a smaller scale: that of the mitochondrion, to understand its anatomy.

Anatomy of the mitochondrion

Contrary to what was previously thought, the relationships between the mitochondrion and its environment are much more complex than it appears.
From the status of a very autonomous organelle, the mitochondrion has in fact revealed itself to be, in light of the discoveries of recent years, a unit capable of working in a team. Today we are talking about “mitochondrial networks”, as recalled by a study on this subject, published in 2018 on the Nature platform and signed by Nahuel Zamponi's research team (1).
This new perception, more in line with reality, is also consistent with the idea of ​​a cellular organelle collaborating with other agents to carry out complex processes.
To meet these specifications, the mitochondrion is structured, from the outside to the inside, as follows:

• An external membrane serving as an interface with the cytosol of the cell in which the mitochondria bathes (allowing exchanges with other cellular organelles as well as the integration of nutrients necessary for the work of the mitochondria);
• An internal membrane whose volume and dynamics can adjust to the needs of mitochondrial activity thanks to a retractable shape using ridges;
• A matrix (delimited by the internal membrane), seat of the metabolic reactions of the mitochondria (in particular the production of Adenosine TriPhosphate molecules serving as energy sources for the cell).

Cellular respiration under the microscope: what is the place of ubiquinone in all this?

It is precisely because it has antioxidant properties and is lipid soluble that ubiquinone finds its place within the mitochondria. To understand this, let us recall that the mechanism of cellular respiration (i.e. the main activity of the mitochondria) takes place according to the following main stages:

1. You submit, through your diet, ingredients to your digestive system
2. This processes them to remove nutrients (amino acids recovered from the proteins you consume, sucrose from sugar cubes, vitamin A, B, C from oranges, apples and other fruits and vegetables, etc.)
3. Nutrients pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream via small blood vessels (capillaries).
4. With this batch of nutrients, the glucose transported with the red blood cells to the cells making up the tissues of the different organs
5. Once near a cell that needs it, glucose crosses its membrane to end up in its cytosol.
6. From then on, the mitochondria will implement its mechanisms for recovering glucose and processing it (through a series of biochemical reactions grouped under the term “Krebs cycle”).
7. At the end of the processing of glucose, the mitochondria will have produced ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate), a source of energy usable by the cell which hosts it.

During Krebs cycle reactions, molecules are made and broken by destruction and establishment of chemical bonds. Many of these bonds are made possible by hydrogen atoms having lost their electrons, therefore positively charged and seeking to cling to molecules having an “excess” electron (therefore negatively charged) to neutralize themselves (these atoms are called of positively charged hydrogen “proton”, by misnomer).

It is therefore ubiquinone which serves as an “intermediate molecule” for these “protons”. A true shuttle transporting these from molecules to molecules, coenzyme Q10 therefore plays a central role within the mitochondria, delimited by its internal membrane.

An evolving understanding of the mitochondrion

The “good” understanding of the architecture of this cellular organelle and the importance of ubiquinone in ensuring one of its key roles does not reduce its research interest.
The anatomy, pluripotency and tendency of the mitochondria to adjust its activity and its level of collaboration with its peers and other organelles have led researchers to ask, for more than a century, the question of its origin.
In this regard, if the scientific consensus has been unchanged for several decades, a theory imagined in the 1970s by microbiology researcher Lynn Margulis is coming back into fashion, following discoveries shared with the scientific community in February 2016 by Steven G. Ball and his team (2).

Symbiosis and energy in practice: a change of scale

However, until a new decisive breakthrough is achieved in the study of its origins, it remains accepted that it is at the end of a merger (which would have taken place over very long time scales) that the mitochondrion (alongside several elements of the cytosol) was able to integrate our cells to guarantee them a certain form of energy independence.
It is therefore only at the cost of what we call “endosymbiosis” (an integration of the ancestor of the mitochondria inside our cells to create a lasting and reciprocally profitable biological association) that we have knew how to evolve towards the complex form of life that we are.
But beyond this observation of historical interest, it is possible to consider the importance of the mitochondrion and therefore that of ubiquinone from a much more pragmatic point of view, on the scale of our sensations as 'humans.

Between sensations and biochemistry: how is “vitality” translated at the level of our cells and that of our daily lives?

The aging process is not only accompanied by sagging skin (loss of flexibility and firmness) or by greater difficulty in maintaining sufficiently resistant skin or even by a uniform complexion.
Senescence is also a lot of uncomfortable sensations, of which loss of vitality is one of the most notable problems.
Varying from one individual to another because it is linked to genetic heritage and the environment (balance and richness of the diet, environmental pollution, level of stress, rest, etc.), the loss of vitality does not is however not inevitable.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions and feelings of fatigue

In a study published by Trifunovic and Larsson in 2008 (3), we find the current scientific consensus regarding the role of the mitochondria in the senescence process, that is to say: dysfunctions of the mitochondria contribute to a large part to aging.
However, as the study's findings point out, further research is still needed to determine the extent to which this problem affects the speed and extent of this process.
From the consensus, one indisputable element still emerges: the slowdown in mitochondrial activity leads to lower energy production, which contributes to premature cell death.
The slowdown in cell replacement combined with the difficulty of each of them to perform key functions due to lack of energy can in turn create problems in the functioning of organs: heart, liver, intestines, etc.
Ultimately, mitochondrial problems result in fatigue.

Glycation: the enemy of your mitochondria

Many aspects must be considered to maintain mitochondrial efficiency.
However, the essential points which make it an energy powerhouse lie in the mechanisms specific to cellular respiration.
In other words, maintaining the integrity of the molecules responsible for Krebs cycle reactions is of paramount importance.
In this sense, the dangers weighing on the mitochondria are:

• Oxidative stress;
• Glycation.
• If several mechanisms for combating oxidation are present at the cellular level, protecting to a certain extent against free radicals, protection against glycation proves to be more delicate.

  Chemical reaction falling into the categories of so-called “Maillard” reactions (the same ones which explain the blackening of meat during cooking, due to the fixation of glucose molecules), glycation threatens the integrity of the cell and in particular that of the mitochondria.

  Fortunately, to slow down or even partially reverse the glycation process (occurring naturally to a greater or lesser extent depending on the genes and epigenetic factors), it is possible to support your cells. Among the means of support for glycation, there are two categories:

  • Consumption of active ingredients offering anti-glycation reactions (upstream of the glycation reaction in the cell);
  • Consumption of active ingredients leading to deglycation reactions (downstream of the glycation reaction).

  Diet, adjusted in an effort to maintain a meaningful health and beauty routine, is a particularly effective lever for action. However, to carry out this initiative successfully, you must have the necessary resources.

MyCollagenRepair: beyond maintenance, a nutricosmetic to “repair” the damage of time

It is thanks to a very detailed understanding of the mechanisms at work within your cells that the MyPureSkin laboratory team sets out to create each of its food supplements in order to support you on a daily basis in your healing process. aging.
This initiative would also not meet the values ​​of MyPureSkin if it did not respect an essential point: respect for your health in the long term.
It is with this in mind that each of the ingredients of 100% natural origin is selected by our collaborators and put into synergy with the others.
This approach allows us to produce formulas of unprecedented effectiveness, like that of MyCollagenLift, recently awarded and whose clinical trial is clear proof of its beauty benefits.
It is always this vision that drives us when formulating MyCollagenRepair, an exceptional nutricosmetic whose vast spectrum of action allows it to support your body's effort to preserve your skin integrity.
Indeed, MyCollagenRepair is an avant-garde cocktail of key active ingredients such as:

• Marine collagen peptides, the consumption of which is a guarantee of stimulation of your endogenous collagen synthesis;
• Hyaluronic acid, the presence of which supports skin hydration while helping to stimulate your own collagen production;
• Vitamins with very high antioxidant power, E and C (extracted from acerola fruit);
• SOD (SuperOxide Dismutase) whose antioxidant properties complete the effectiveness of neutralizing free radicals offered by vitamins;
• Rosmarinic acid, which protects your skin's collagen molecules downstream from degradation caused by glycation reactions;
• Silymarin (extracted from milk thistle) whose upstream protection of collagen molecules against the phenomenon of glycation broadens the protective umbrella of your skin;
• Bioperine (patented extract of piperine, the active agent of black pepper) whose presence improves the bioavailability (and therefore your absorption capacity) of ubiquinone;
• Ubuiquinone (coenzyme Q10), whose properties are a shield against the degradation to which your sources of vitality (the mitochondria) are exposed.

With this list of carefully chosen ingredients, the MyCollagenRepair formula places the focus on maintaining your skin and your vitality thanks to an action whose 4 key aspects are:

• Multiple target nutrition;
• Protection against free radicals upstream and downstream;
• An upstream antiglycant action;
• A downstream deglycating action.

Tired of being tired? Want to regain some vitality? Need to adjust your beauty routine to your age?

Why not take care of yourself upstream and downstream with a natural and easy-to-implement beauty treatment with MyCollagenRepair?

1. Report of research by Nahuel Zamponi's team on the factors governing the complexity of mitochondrial networks: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-18351-5
2. “From pathogen to powerhouse”: origin and evolution of the mitochondrion in light of the discoveries of Steven G. Ball: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294275881_Pathogen_to_powerhouse
3. Mitochondrial dysfunctions as one of the causes of the aging process: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18226094/