Evaluation of the mutagenic potential of ubidecarenone using three short-term assays

Addition of ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), to foods has been proposed for its nutritive value. Ubidecarenone is present naturally in a number of foods, including meats (e.g., beef, chicken) and fish (e.g., herring, rainbow trout), and on average, people are estimated to consume 2–20 mg/day of this metabolically important substance. Currently, relatively little formal evidence regarding the safety of ubidecarenone has been identified in the toxicology literature, despite its consumption by humans for centuries without reported notable adverse effects. As such, a series of toxicological studies, including mouse bone marrow micronucleus, chromosomal aberration, and bacterial reverse mutation tests, were conducted to evaluate the in vivo and in vitro mutagenic potential of CoQ10. The test article, ubidecarenone, was devoid of clastogenic activity when administered orally to mice at doses up to 2000 mg/kg/day. In addition, the test article did not induce chromosomal aberration in CHL/IU cells exposed to concentrations as great as 5.0 mg/ml, nor did it induce reverse mutations in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli at concentrations as great as 5000 μg/plate.