Can an Over-the-Counter Vitamin-Like
Substance slow the progression of
Parkinson’s Disease?
Newswise — Rush University Medical Center is
participating in a large-scale, multi-center
clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada to
determine whether a vitamin-like substance,
in high doses, can slow the progression of
Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative
disorder that affects about one million
people in the United States.
“At present, the very best therapies we have
for Parkinson’s can only mask the symptoms –
they do not alter the underlying disease,”
said neurologist Dr. Katie Kompoliti, a
specialist in movement disorders.
“Finding a treatment that can slow the
degenerative course of Parkinsons’s is the
holy grail of Parkinson’s research.”
The substance being tested, called coenzyme
Q10, is produced naturally in the
body and is an important link in the chain
of chemical reactions that produce energy in
mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of cells.
The enzyme is also a potent antioxidant – a
chemical that "mops up" potentially harmful
chemicals generated during normal
metabolism.
Several studies have shown that Parkinson’s
patients have impaired mitochondrial
function and low levels of coenzyme Q10.
Moreover, laboratory research has
demonstrated that coenzyme Q10 can
protect the area of the brain damaged in
Parkinson’s.
The Phase III clinical trial, a large,
randomized study with a control group,
follows an earlier investigation that tested
several doses of coenzyme Q10 in
a small group of patients with early-stage
Parkinson’s disease.
The highest dose, 1,200 mg, appeared
promising. Over the course of 16 months,
patients taking this dose experienced
significantly less decline than other
patients in motor (movement) function and
ability to carry out activities of daily
living, such as feeding or dressing
themselves.
But researchers involved in the study,
including Kompoliti, were cautious about
their findings, citing the need for a more
extensive review to confirm the results.
In the present trial, funded by the National
Institutes of Health and the National
Institute of Neurological and Disorders and
Stroke, 600 patients will be enrolled at 60
centers in the U.S. and Canada.
Two dosages of coenzyme Q10 are
being tested,1,200 mg and 2,400 mg,
delivered in maple nut-flavored chewable
wafers that also contain vitamin E.
Participants in the study will be evaluated
periodically over 16 months for symptoms of
Parkinson’s disease, including tremor,
stiffness of the limbs and trunk, impaired
balance and coordination, and slowing of
movements.
They will also be assessed for ability to
perform daily activities, overall quality of
life, and need to take medications to
alleviate symptoms.
About Rush:
Rush University Medical Center includes a
674-bed (staffed) hospital; the Johnston R.
Bowman Health Center; and Rush University
(Rush Medical College, College of Nursing,
College of Health Sciences and the Graduate
College).
Rush is currently constructing a 14-floor,
806,000-square-foot hospital building at the
corner of Ashland Avenue and Congress
Parkway.
The
new hospital, scheduled to open in 2012, is
the centerpiece of a $1-billion, 10-year
campus redevelopment plan called the Rush
Transformation, which also includes a new
orthopedics building (to open in Fall 2009),
a new parking garage and central power plant
completed in June 2009, renovations of
selected existing buildings and demolition
of obsolete buildings.
The new hospital is being designed and built
to conserve energy and water, reduce waste
and use sustainable building materials.
Rush is seeking Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) gold
certification from the U.S. Green
BuildingCouncil. It will be the first
full-service, “green” hospital in Chicago.
Rush’s mission is to provide the best
possible care for our patients. Educating
tomorrow’s health care professional,
researching new and more advanced treatment
options, transforming our facilities and
investing in new technologies—all are
undertaken with the drive to improve patient
care now, and for the future.
