Coenzyme Q 10 supplementation improves the motor function of middle-aged mice by restoring the neuronal activity of the motor cortex

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 4323
• Main Authors: Inoue, Ritsuko, Miura, Masami, Yanai, Shuichi, Nishimune, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 15-03-2023
• Subjects: Animals; Dietary Supplements; Humans; Infant; Mice; Middle Aged; Mitochondria - metabolism; Motor Cortex - metabolism; Neurons - metabolism; Ubiquinone - metabolism; Ubiquinone - pharmacology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322

Physiological aging causes motor function decline and anatomical and biochemical changes in the motor cortex. We confirmed that middle-aged mice at 15-18 months old show motor function decline, which can be restored to the young adult level by supplementing with mitochondrial electron transporter coenzyme Q
(CoQ
) as a water-soluble nanoformula by drinking water for 1 week. CoQ
supplementation concurrently improved brain mitochondrial respiration but not muscle strength. Notably, we identified an age-related decline in field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) amplitude in the pathway from layers II/III to V of the primary motor area of middle-aged mice, which was restored to the young adult level by supplementing with CoQ
for 1 week but not by administering CoQ
acutely to brain slices. Interestingly, CoQ
with high-frequency stimulation induced NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) in layer V of the primary motor cortex of middle-aged mice. Importantly, the fEPSP amplitude showed a larger input‒output relationship after CoQ
-dependent LTP expression. These data suggest that CoQ
restores the motor function of middle-aged mice by improving brain mitochondrial function and the basal fEPSP level of the motor cortex, potentially by enhancing synaptic plasticity efficacy. Thus, CoQ
supplementation may ameliorate the age-related decline in motor function in humans.