Coenzyme Q10Žmitek, Janko (Avtor) Pravst, Igor (Avtor) Žmitek, Katja (Avtor) Barišić, Nina (Avtor) Coenzyme Q10 has an important role in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, where it acts as an electron carrier, and is the only endogenous antioxidant in the human body. A part of Q10 is also supplied to the body by food. The biological role of CoQ10 is built on its redox equilibrium and continuous transformation between ubiquinone and ubiquinol. Due to natural reduction of CoQ10 during or following intestinal absorption its function in the body is not affected by the form in which it is consumed. A decline in CoQ10 levels can be observed with increasing age, especially in the most active organs, while the beneficial effect of supplementation has been observed in many medical conditions. Due to its physical properties CoQ10 is very poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. A general rule is that the higher the dose that is orally administered, the lower is the percent of the dose absorbed. Oil suspensions (soft-gel capsules) of ubiquinone and later ubiquionol represent the first important steps in increasing the bioavailabilit y, while a further breakthrough was achieved with the development of water-soluble forms.20112025-11-26 09:35:36Neznano24343UDK: 615ISSN pri članku: 0014-8202COBISS_ID: 35137541sl