Core Advantages and Therapeutic Potential of Pyrroloquinoline Quinone

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a vitamin-like bio-factor that functions as a highly efficient antioxidant and, more importantly, as an enzyme co-factor governing mitochondrial biogenesis. By modulating this central process, PQQ influences growth, reproduction, aging and other critical physiological events. In pre-clinical models it protects the kidney, liver, heart and brain, strengthens intestinal barrier integrity and reshapes the gut microbiota, positioning it as a promising therapeutic nutraceutical.

Comparison with Classical Vitamins
Similarities: Like vitamins, PQQ is required only in trace amounts to sustain normal physiology; its omission produces a specific deficiency syndrome that can be reversed by supplementation.
Differences: Classical vitamins (vitamin C, B-complex) are formally classified as essential for humans, whereas PQQ has not yet received this designation. Most vitamins operate as single-enzyme cofactors (thiamine for transketolase), whereas PQQ is pleiotropic—simultaneously an enzyme co-factor, a redox-cycling antioxidant and a signalling modulator (activator of the SIRT1/PGC-1α axis).

Key Advantages and Application Potential
Vitamin-like credentials: PQQ is one of the few bio-factors whose deficiency produces a coherent syndrome across species (mouse, rat, chicken, etc.). It is active at nanomolar-to-micromolar concentrations—orders of magnitude below the millimolar levels required for flavonoids such as quercetin or resveratrol—and is present in human milk at concentrations comparable to folate and riboflavin.

Pleiotropic activity: A single molecule provides antioxidant defence, mitochondrial biogenesis, anti-inflammatory signalling and multi-organ protection, while also improving cognition.

Therapeutic outlook: Emerging clinical and mechanistic data support its use in metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and organ-injury prevention. Accumulating evidence suggests PQQ may eventually be recognized as an essential vitamin-like factor for humans.

Reference
Jonscher K R, Chowanadisai W, Rucker R B. Pyrroloquinoline-quinone is more than an antioxidant: a vitamin-like accessory factor important in health and disease prevention. Biomolecules, 2021, 11(10): 1441.

*Special note - This article is for informational purposes only and cannot replace a doctor's treatment diagnosis and advice. It should not be regarded as a recommendation or proof of efficacy of the medical products involved. If it involves disease diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, please be sure to go to a professional medical institution to seek professional advice.

by GSHWORLD

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