Coenzyme Q₁₀ and α-tocopherol reversed age-associated functional impairments in mice

The purpose of this study was to determine if intake of the antioxidants coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) or α-tocopherol (Toc), either alone or in combination, could ameliorate cognitive and psychomotor impairments of aged mice, as well as reduce oxidative burden in tissues. For a period of 10weeks, male C57BL/6J mice (3 or 18months) were fed either a control diet, or one of three diets supplemented with Toc, CoQ₁₀ or their combination, and were tested for cognitive and psychomotor functions. Old mice on the Toc or Toc/CoQ₁₀ diets showed improved coordinated running performance. Mice on the diet containing Toc/CoQ₁₀ demonstrated improved performance in the discriminated avoidance task. CoQ₁₀ and Toc alone also resulted in improved performance, albeit to a lesser degree. Protein damage was decreased especially when the mice received Toc+CoQ₁₀ combination. Overall, these results suggest that, Toc and CoQ supplementation can ameliorate age-related impairment and reduce protein oxidation. Moreover, concurrent supplementation of CoQ₁₀ and Toc may be more effective than either antioxidant alone.