CoQ10 significantly improved disease severity, quality of life, and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in JIA patients with an excellent safety profile when used as adjunctive therapy.
CoQ10 supplementation significantly reduced disease activity scores in JIA patients compared to placebo.
Quality of life improved significantly more in the CoQ10 group than in the control group.
CoQ10 supplementation significantly reduced serum TNF-α levels compared to placebo.
CoQ10 supplementation significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress, compared to placebo.
CoQ10 supplementation significantly increased glutathione (GSH) levels, indicating improved antioxidant capacity, compared to placebo.
CoQ10 at 100 mg/day for 3 months demonstrated an excellent safety profile with only minor side effects reported.
This research suggests that adding coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a naturally occurring antioxidant supplement, to standard treatment for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) — a chronic inflammatory joint disease in children — can substantially improve outcomes. In this small pilot study, children who received 100 mg of CoQ10 daily for three months alongside their regular medications showed about a 49% reduction in disease activity scores, compared to almost no change in children who received a placebo. Their quality of life, as measured by a standardized questionnaire, also improved nearly twice as much as in the placebo group. The study also found biological evidence for CoQ10's effects: children taking it had meaningful reductions in TNF-α (a protein that drives inflammation) and MDA (a marker of cellular damage from oxidative stress), while their levels of glutathione — a natural antioxidant the body produces — increased. In the placebo group, glutathione levels actually declined slightly. These findings suggest CoQ10 may work by reducing both inflammation and oxidative stress, two processes believed to contribute to JIA. This research suggests CoQ10 could be a promising, well-tolerated add-on therapy for children with JIA, though the authors emphasize this was a small pilot study and larger trials are needed to confirm these findings. The supplement appeared safe, with only minor side effects reported, which is particularly important when considering treatments for children.
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Upload Your LabsElsherif N, Shousha G, Sabri N, Shawki M. (2026). Promising efficacy of coenzyme Q10 supplementation as adjunctive therapy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a randomized-controlled pilot study.. Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2026.2657954