Coenzyme Q10 is an essential cofactor of the electron transport chain as well as a potent free radical scavenger in lipid and mitochondrial membranes. This was demonstrated by studies published in the Proc. Feeding rodents with Coenzyme Q10 resulted in increased mitochondrial concentrations in the cerebral cortex. These results show that oral administration of Coenzyme Q10 increases both brain and brain mitochondrial concentrations and provides further evidence that Coenzyme Q10 can exert neuroprotective effects that might be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. CoQ10 has also shown promise in clinical trials on breast cancer patients in which tumor spread and mortality rate were significantly lowered with trial dosages.
Additional research is needed to determine long-term toxicity in cancer treatment.
DHEA has demonstrated a striking ability to maintain immune system synchronization. Oral supplementation with low doses of DHEA in aged animals restored immunocompetence to a reasonable level within days of administration. DHEA supplementation in aged rodents resulted in almost complete restoration of immune function. DHEA has been shown in numerous animals studies to boost immune function via several different mechanisms. Only limited human studies have been done to measure DHEA's effect on the immune system.