Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Psychopathological Symptoms in Fibromyalgia Patients

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain syndrome accompanied by a myriad of variable physical and psychopathological symptoms such as fatigue, muscle stiffness, sleep disorders, morning tiredness, cognitive complaints, as well as depression and anxiety 1. Despite the fact that it affects up to 5% of the general population worldwide, its pathogenic mechanism remains elusive. Recently, the hypothesis that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are important events in the pathogenesis of FM 2 was proposed. Furthermore, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency has been described in patients with FM 3. CoQ10 plays a critical role in the mitochondrial ATP production and cellular metabolism. CoQ10 also regulates mitochondrial uncoupling proteins, mitochondrial permeability transition pore, and ROS production 2. Recently, preliminary data showed an interesting improvement in clinical symptoms in patients with FM after oral supplementation with CoQ10 4, 5, including the control of the depressive symptom with the regulation of the serotoninergic system