Effect of CoQ10 Plus Selenium Supplementation on Clinical Outcomes and Biochemical Markers in ME/CFS (CoSeME Study) (CoSeME)

November 16, 2021 updated by: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute

Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation, Mitochondrial Biogenesis, and Immunoinflammatory Response After Oral Coenzyme Q10 Plus Selenium Supplementation in Individuals With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In recent years, it has been suggested that nutritional deficiencies may be of causal relevance in individuals with ME/CFS. These include deficiencies of vitamins and trace elements. It is likely that the observed nutritional deficiencies contribute to the core symptoms of the disease. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been studied as an alternative and complementary therapy in ME/CFS for fatigue, pain, tiredness, neurocognitive impairment, and sleep problems. This demonstrates how alterations in energy metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, imbalance of the immune-inflammatory response, and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome are likely consequences of low levels of CoQ10 and selenium, which are related to the main symptoms in ME/CFS. Hypothesis: CoQ10 and selenium levels are decreased in ME/CFS patients. A natural therapeutic alternative in the treatment of common symptoms in ME/CFS could be the oral CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) plus selenium supplementation to module redox status and inflammation response in ME/CFS. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of oral Ubiquinone + selenium supplementation on clinical outcome and circulating biomarkers in ME/CFS. We enrolled 42 ME/CFS patients diagnosed according to the 1994 CDC/Fukuda criteria who have received oral treatment of 400 mg Ubiquinone + 200 microgram selenium daily for 8 weeks. Demographic, clinical characteristics and laboratory variables, and validated outcome measures to perceived fatigue, sleep disturbances, and quality of life will be also evaluated. In addition, plasma biomarkers related to oxidative stress status (total antioxidant capacity and lipoperoxide levels), inflammatory response (pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines), and cardiovascular dysfunction (FGF-21 and NT-proBNP) will be assayed.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

42

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Cataluña
      • Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain, 08035
        • Vall D'Hebron University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients were potentially eligible if they were female, aged 18 years or older, and had a confirmed diagnosis of ME/CFS by a specialist according to the 1994 CDC/Fukuda criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Exclusion criteria were those with any significant active fatiguing medical disorder (thyroid-related disorders, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, medication side-effects, heart diseases, iron deficiency anemia), previous diagnosis not unequivocally resolved (chronic hepatitis, malignancy), autoimmune disorders, history of past/current neuropsychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder, psychotic or melancholic features, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, dementias, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa), and participation in another clinical trial of the same or different nature within 30 days prior to study inclusion; inability (in the opinion of the investigator) to follow the instructions or to complete the treatment satisfactorily; failure to provide signed informed consent; use of certain drugs and supplements that might influence outcome measures in the last 90 days or whose withdrawal might be a relevant problem, anticoagulant treatment, pregnancy or breast-feeding, smoking habits, alcohol intake or substance abuse, strong hormone-related medications, and obesity.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: NA
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: CoQ10 plus selenium

Nutraceutical intervention:

400 mg/day CoQ10 soft gel capsula (Bio-Quinone active 100 mg b.i.d) plus 200 microgram organic selenium yeast tablet (SelenoPrecise 100 microgram b.i.d.) over 8 weeks
Dietary supplement: CoQ10 plus Selenium
400 mg/day CoQ10 soft gel capsula (Bio-Quinone active 100 mg b.i.d) plus 200 microgram organic selenium yeast tablet (SelenoPrecise 100 microgram b.i.d.) over 8 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fatigue perception assessed through FIS-40 questionnaire
Time Frame: 8 weeks
FIS-40 self-reported questionnaire: Change of fatigue perception from baseline will be assessed.
8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep disturbances evaluated through PSQI
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Change of sleep problems from baseline will be assessed.
8 weeks
Health-related quality of life assessed by SF-36
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Change of quality of life (SF-36) from baseline will be assessed.
8 weeks
Measurement of biomarkers of redox status.
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Change of the circulating biomarker levels of oxidative stress (malondialdehydes and total antioxidant capacity) from baseline will be measured.
8 weeks
Measurement of biomarkers of inflammatory immune response.
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Change of the circulating biomarker levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha, and C-reactive protein) from baseline will be measured.
8 weeks
Measurement of biomarkers of cardiovascular risk.
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Change of the circulating biomarker levels of cardiovascular function (FGF-21 and NT-proBNP) from baseline will be measured.
8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute

Collaborators

Pharma Nord

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: José Alegre, MD, PhD, Vall D'Hebron University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

January 1, 2018

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

September 1, 2018

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

November 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 5, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 16, 2021

First Posted (ACTUAL)

November 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

November 19, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 16, 2021

Last Verified

November 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PR(AG)233(2016)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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