ONE MORE PROOF OF INDENA’S UBIQSOME® EFFICACYNEW CLINICAL EVIDENCES CONFIRM BETTER MUSCLE UPTAKE IN INDIVIDUALSAFTER SUPPLEMENTATION WITH COENZYME Q10 PHYTOSOME™
Milan, December 14th 2023 – A recently issued, new ex-vivo study demonstrates that CoQ10 Phytosome™,i.e. Indena’s UBIQSOME®, optimizes cellular ubiquinone uptake in muscle cells in comparison tounformulated CoQ10 1 . Those evidences confirm the uniqueness of muscle uptake with UBIQSOME®
supplementation, already shown by a previous study2.
Moreover, for the first time in CoQ10 formulations, UBIQSOME® resulted in scientific evidence of ameliorationof CoQ10 muscle absorption after oral administration, being the only product on the market succeeding inenhancing both plasmatic and muscle CoQ10 levels.
COENZYME Q10 ORAL SUPPLEMENTATION HAS POINTS OF STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS:INDENA’S UBIQSOME® EMPOWERS IT, THANKS TO PHYTOSOME™ MULTI-TALENTED TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Coenzyme Q10 plays a central role in generation and regulation of cell bioenergy, being involved intransferring of electrons within the mitochondrial oxidative respiratory chain and hence, ATP production, andhas reported to have antioxidant and beneficial effects in improving human health and well-being. On theother hand, CoQ10 has a low oral bioavailability, due to its poor water solubility, high molecular weight, lowsolubility in lipids and low intestinal permeability.
UBIQSOME® is the innovative food grade delivery system of coenzyme Q10 formulated with the proprietary
Multi-Talented Technology Platform developed by Indena. It’s Phytosome™, the breakthrough 100% foodgrade delivery system that optimizes the performance of many natural actives in multiple ways, allowing toexploit their power and health benefits. Today, Phytosome™ is the most reliable and customizable solution
in the nutraceutical field.
Thanks to its Phytosome™ formulation, UBIQSOME® is a food-grade highly bioavailable form, standardized
in coenzyme Q10 (18-22% by HPLC), which optimizes coenzyme Q10 levels not only in blood but also inmuscles. Indeed, the scientifically demonstrated significative presence of CoQ10 at muscular level
represents a unique and successful goal which unequivocally differentiates UBIQSOME® from otheringredients.
THE LAST CLINICAL EVIDENCES SHOW THE CAPACITY OF UBIQSOME® TO REACH THE RIGHT BIOLOGICAL TARGETThe most recent human study1 on CoQ10 Phytosome™ involved, using a crossover design, eight volunteers
randomized to supplement 100 mg/daily CoQ10 for two weeks, delivered both in Phytosome™ form and in
CoQ10 crystalline form. After supplementation, plasma was collected, and low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
were extracted, normalized for CoQ10 content, and incubated with two different cell lines for 24 h.
The in-vitro results show that UBQ-enriched lipoproteins showed a higher bioavailability compared withcrystalline CoQ10-enriched ones in both dermal fibroblasts and myoblasts. Those data suggest thatPhytosome™ carriers might provide a specific advantage in delivering CoQ10 to skin and muscle tissues.
“We’re happy and proud of these new results from the study led by professor Tiano, which confirm that ourUBIQSOME® is a great formulation of coenzyme Q10 - says Serena Tongiani, Chief Product Officer atIndena -. They are added to the scientific data build for our product, starting from the multiple evidences
which show enhanced plasmatic levels of coenzyme Q10 thanks to UBIQSOME®. Moreover, this studies
demonstrated for the first time in humans that UBIQSOME® optimize muscles levels of CoQ10 after oral
supplementation compared to baseline. Last but not least, UBIQSOME® has been recently demonstrated toenhance endothelial function already after the first dose in young healthy subjects, showing itself as aneffective support to cardiovascular health and healthy ageing even in absence of any specific disease.

1Marcheggiani, F.; Orlando, P.; Silvestri, S.; Cirilli, I.; Riva, A.; Petrangolini, G.; Orsini, F.; Tiano, L. CoQ10Phytosomes Improve
Cellular Ubiquinone Uptake in Skeletal Muscle Cells: An Ex Vivo Study Using CoQ10-Enriched Low-Density Lipoproteins Obtained ina Randomized Crossover Study. Antioxidants2023,12,964. https:// doi.org/10.3390/antiox12040964
2
Drobnic, Franchek, et al. "Efficient muscle distribution reflects the positive influence of coenzyme Q10 Phytosome in healthy aging
athletes after stressing exercise." Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Research, 2020, vol. 3, num. 4, p. 262-275 (2020).

All the evidences we got in the last years, including the last ones recently issued, allow us to say thatUBIQSOME® - CoQ10 Phytosome™ - is a reliable and promising ingredient for all traditional applications ofCoQ10”.
HOW UBIQSOME® ACTUALLY WORKS?
Another in-vitro study 3 has been made to investigate the mechanism of muscle absorption. Scientificevidences proved that macropinocytosis may underly the cellular internalization of UBIQSOME® in both
intestinal and cardiac cells, mainly thanks to its Phytosome™ formulation. Indeed, lecithin matrix proper ofPhytosome™ structure allows a higher internalization of Coenzyme Q10 compared with CoQ10 alone. Suchevidences show that UBIQSOME® and the lecithin vehicle significantly increased the number of intracellularlipid droplets, especially in cardiac cells, suggesting that both CoQ10 and lipids from Phytosome™ can beinternalized as lipid aggregates.
Data showed that UBIQSOME® increased CoQ10 in cell but also within mitochondria, leading to improved
oxygen consumption, higher ATP and cell proteins production, higher mitochondria biogenesis and reduced
oxidative stress.
Thanks to Phytosome™ delivery system, UBIQSOME® can make the difference in delivering CoQ10 withinboth muscle cell and mitochondria compared with traditional CoQ10 ingredients.
INDENA: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AS A PART OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED
Sustainability has been an approach to governance for Indena for many years. The company makes a majorcommitment to protect nature, a source of inspiration but also of business, in innovating technology toaddress climate change and in taking care of people as the real source of sustainable success.
There are five main global sustainability challenges that Indena constantly addresses, to guide its vision andplans: climate change, loss of biodiversity, waste, social vulnerability and health.
Moreover, UBIQSOME® is produced in Indena’s main plant at Settala near Milan, which is run according tosustainability principles, starting from an efficient energy management. In fact, Indena is equipping all its
European sites with state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels. The total renewable energy self-production by 2024
will be of 5,013, 000 kwhours per year, equivalent to 2,340 Tons of CO2. saved. In 2024, 67% of the energy
used by Indena will be self-produced, of which almost 23% from renewable sources, and 5,177 Tons of CO2
equivalent will be saved.

Indena SpA is an Italian company, a global leader in the identification, development, production and sale of extracts and pure active
ingredients, mainly derived from medicinal plants, for use in the pharmaceutical, health food, cosmetics and veterinary industries.
Backed up by a century of botanical experience, the company owns 100 patent families, has published more than 1000 scientific studies
and co- operates with the world’s most prestigious universities and private research institutions. Indena employs over 900 staff, investinga significant amount of its annual turnover in research, making this activity the key to its success. Headquartered in Milan, Indena has
4 production sites and 5 international branches throughout the world and manages sales in more than 80 countries. The company'sexperts communicate and interact constantly with the major international regulatory authorities and cooperate on the update of all themain pharmacopoeias.
CDMO activities are the priority in Indena’s strategic vision. Today, Indena has a multipurpose GMP plant equipped with reactor ranging
from 250 lt to 10,000 lt (Stainless Stell, Hastelloy, Glass-lined); a kilo lab LK2 to offer different capacities for products at the highest
containment level (OEL 20 ng/m3 or OEB5); two spray dryers, large and a mid-size, working with organic solvents; a 20-literhydrogenator being complemented by a 250-liter hydrogenator (ready at the end of 2023) to satisfy a wider demand for this kind ofchemistry.
Find more on indena.com

Indena press contacts
bcw-burson cohn & wolfe
Luisa Cavagnera: luisa.cavagnera@bcw-global.com
Ph. +39 3497665890

3Rizzardi, Nicola, et al. "Coenzyme Q10 Phytosome Formulation Improves CoQ10 Bioavailability and Mitochondrial Functionality in
Cultured Cells." Antioxidants 10.6 (2021): 927.