Creatine and CoQ10 have additive effects in the R6/2 mice

Creatine and CoQ10 have additive effects in the R6/2 mice
I am so excited to do Phase Two with Gary. I am loving the Creatne I am taking. I have gained lots of muscle back. I now weigh 125. When HD, first kicked in I weighed 100. I can't wait for October 2009.

Coalition for the Cure researcher, Dr. M. Flint Beal and colleagues have found that creatine and CoQ10 each exert neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of HD and that neuroprotection increases when both are administered.Both supplements boost energy metabolism which is known to be impaired in HD patients. In addition, both are antioxidants and oxidative damage is known to be a problem in HD. Creatine and CoQ10 are each in Phase III (final) clinical trials conducted by the Huntington Study Group as a result of promising results in mouse models and Phase I and II trials.

Should both be found effective, doctors and patients will need to know whether they should be taken in combination or whether there is no additional benefit to taking more than one of the supplements.

Creatine and CoQ10 affect cellular energy through different mechanisms. Creatine plays a key role in energy buffering between the mitochondria and the cytosol of the cell which is especially important in cells with a high demand for energy. CoQ10 is a cofactor in the electron transport chain which is part of the process by which energy is produced in the mitochondria. CoQ10 accepts electrons from Complex I and II and transfers them to Complex III.

Dr. Beal and colleagues provided the R6/2 mice with a diet which included two percent creatine or one percent CoQ10 or both and compared the results for the three groups with R6/2 mice which were fed a regular diet. The CoQ10 group did better on the rotorod test of motor performance and survived longer than the control group. The creatine group did better than the CoQ10 group while the group which received both did best of all.

The results suggest that research into whether HD patients wo

uld benefit from taking both is worth pursuing. "If both CoQ10 and creatine show efficacy in ... HD trials, then future studies of the two compounds in combination may be warranted. A combination of the two compounds would also be a promising approach for treating pre-symptomatic individuals, since both compounds are natural products and are well-tolerated with few side effects," the authors conclude.
Dr Beal