Kaneka: Coenzyme Q10 May Help Prevent Male Infertility

Iranian professor of Urology Mohammad Reza Safarinejad used a two-way approach to describe the problem in its totality and to cover both of its “determinants” – i.e. sperm quality and the corresponding desired outcome, namely the pregnancy rate.

18 June 2012 --- The clinical usefulness of Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of male factor infertility has been scientifically documented. A clinical study carried out in Iran has proven that administration of Kaneka Q10 in patients with reduced sperm motility is effective in improving the kinetic features of sperm, according to supplier Kaneka Pharma Europe. Most importantly, a follow-up study showed a direct increase in the pregnancy rate.

Iranian professor of Urology Mohammad Reza Safarinejad used a two-way approach to describe the problem in its totality and to cover both of its “determinants” – i.e. sperm quality and the corresponding desired outcome, namely the pregnancy rate.

A placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was used to assess the effects of Kaneka Q10 on three semen parameters – sperm density, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. Study participants (212 infertile men with idiopathic oligoastenospermia) were treated for 26 weeks, followed by a 30-week washout period. The trial showed that 300 mg/day Kaneka Q10 significantly improved all three semen parameters, whereas they remained unchanged in the placebo group.

According to a follow-up study, a pregnancy rate of 34.1 per cent was achieved in couples with male factor infertility of unknown cause (idiopathic male factor infertility). Compared to the crude 12-month cumulative spontaneous pregnancy rate of 6.4 per cent on the waiting list for male subfertility patients, this is a remarkable increase and might not have been achieved if these patients had been left untreated. The study even showed a trend towards higher pregnancy rates when the Q10 administration time was extended beyond the 6-months period.

Manufacturers can harness the potential of this indication for Q10 quite easily, and on a large scale. Kaneka Q10 can be used in a wide range of nutraceuticals, as well as in functional foods, either alone or in combination with other substances to create “all-round” fertility products. Infertility is such a serious problem that people are very open to safe treatments that carry no risk of side-effects but which promise positive outcomes while being low in cost. This, along with the sheer number of people affected worldwide, demonstrates that the market potential is enormous.

Coenzyme Q10 is an essential electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It is endogenously synthesized, lipid-soluble and has vitamin-like properties. Coenzyme Q10 acts as a powerful antioxidant, and protects membrane phospholipids from lipid peroxidation. In addition, Q10 is able to recycle and regenerate other antioxidants, such as tocopherol and ascorbate. In the Iranian study, Kaneka Q10™ was used. This is a natural form of coenzyme Q10 and is the only one in the world to be derived by yeast fermentation. Further investigations with its active form, Kaneka QH Ubiquinol – the more bioavailable form of Q10 which is easier for the body to use – are ongoing and results are awaited. It can be expected that Ubiquinol shows an even higher efficiency, as the body does not have to convert it itself and can thus use it directly.

Study references:
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad: Ef?cacy of Coenzyme Q10 on Semen Parameters, Sperm
Function and Reproductive Hormones in Infertile Men, in: The journal of urology, Vol. 182, 237-248, July 2009.
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad: The effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on partner pregnancy rate in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia: an open-label prospective study, in: Springer Science+Business Media, published online, 13th Nov 2011.