Water-soluble Coenzyme Q10 and Ashwagandha Root Extract as a Combinatorial Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substatia nigra pars compacta region of the brain. PD patients initially display loss of movement coordination (resting tremors, postural instability, bradykinesia, and rigidity), eventually progressing to cognitive impairment, psychiatric irregularity, and death. Most PD cases are sporadic and caused by unknown factors. Although good progress has been made in providing a symptomatic relief such as with dopamine supplements or deep brain stimulation, there is no known available remedy to stop the progression of the disease. This study is based on findings that Ubisol-Q10, a water-soluble formulation of coenzyme-Q10 shows unprecedented near-complete protection against oxidative stress-induced cell death of cultured neurons. We have found that Ubisol-Q10 can neutralize Bax-induced dysfunction of mitochondria, which thus far can only be achieved by an anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2. We have also shown that Ubisol-Q10 exhibited neuroprotective effects in paraquat (PQ) exposed rats. Similarly, ethanolic root extract of ashwagandha extract (ASH) has shown neuroprotective efficacy in maneb-paraquat treated mice. Our objective is to combine ASH with Ubisol-Q10 and conduct a study with a multidisciplinary approach to examine whether post-injury intervention with ASH along with Ubisol-Q10 could slow/halt the progression of neurodegeneration in a PQ induced PD rat model. Our current behavioural tests have shown that PQ treated rats given Ubisol-Q10, ASH or a combination of both in drinking water have reduced motor impairment compared to rats given unsupplemented water. These interesting findings with details of behavioural and biochemical analysis will be presented.

No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).