Home Ingredients BioPQQ® (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone — Mitsubishi)
Cognitive

BioPQQ® (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone — Mitsubishi)

Evidence Level
Limited
1 Clinical Trial
3 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

BioPQQ® is a fermentation-produced pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, a vitamin-like redox compound studied for brain and mitochondrial support. In cell and animal studies PQQ promotes the growth of new mitochondria, the cell's energy producers, though that has not been measured in people. The BioPQQ human trials tested attention and cerebral blood flow; fatigue was looked at only in a small open-label study with no placebo group.

Studied Dose About 20 mg per day.
Active Compound Pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (PQQ), a redox-active quinone. It is a cofactor for bacterial enzymes and has antioxidant activity in laboratory tests; a mitochondrial role in people has not been demonstrated.

Benefits

Attention and cognition

In the main BioPQQ trial, 41 healthy older adults were randomly assigned to 20 mg a day or placebo for 12 weeks; the change in the Stroop interference ratio, a measure of selective attention, was significantly smaller in the PQQ group than in placebo, which the authors read as holding attention steadier rather than improving it. A visual-spatial score improved only in a subgroup that started below 70. Memory itself was not directly tested in that trial.

Supported by Trial 1

Mitochondrial and energy support

Mitochondrial biogenesis has been shown in cell and animal work, not in the BioPQQ human trials. The only fatigue and vigor data in people come from a small open-label study with no placebo group, so an effect on everyday energy is unproven.

Supported by Trial 1

Antioxidant protection

PQQ is chemically stable and cycles through many oxidation-reduction reactions in laboratory tests. Whether that translates into antioxidant protection in the body was not measured in the human BioPQQ studies.

Supported by Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

Mitochondrial biogenesis

In cultured cells and in animals, PQQ activates signaling pathways such as PGC-1-alpha that stimulate the creation of new mitochondria. This is a proposed mechanism; it has not been confirmed in people taking BioPQQ.

2

Redox cycling

PQQ can undergo thousands of oxidation-reduction cycles in laboratory tests, which is the basis for calling its antioxidant activity durable. Cell protection has been observed in cell culture, not in the human trials.

Clinical trials

1
PQQ and Imidazole PQQ: Cell Line and Aged Mouse Study
PubMed

Laboratory study comparing PQQ with a related imidazole compound in a human neuroblastoma cell line and a liver cancer cell line, plus memory learning tests in aged mice. Not a human trial. (Yamada et al. 2020, Heliyon)

Cultured human cell lines and aged mice. No people took part in this study.

The imidazole compound had almost the same biological activity as PQQ except for antioxidant activity, and both improved memory learning in aged mice. The paper's one line about people is a passing mention of separate research, not a result measured here.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Well tolerated in the BioPQQ trials that reported it; the 41-person study found no abnormal blood or urine results and no adverse events over 12 weeks. Human safety data are still limited: a handful of small trials, the longest about 24 weeks, and no long-term or chronic toxicity studies.
Mild headache or sleep changes are occasionally reported.
PQQ has not been shown to be a stimulant in trials; the one open-label study reported better sleep. Take it earlier in the day if it seems to affect your sleep.

Important Drug interactions

No drug interactions are established, though that reflects a lack of interaction studies rather than proof that none exist.
PQQ has not been shown to act as a stimulant, but it is often sold in blends with caffeine or other actives; check the full label of any stack.
Not recommended in pregnancy or breastfeeding: the European safety review of BioPQQ covered healthy adults only and did not assess pregnant or breastfeeding women. Tell your doctor if you are managing a health condition.

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Frequently asked questions about BioPQQ® (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone — Mitsubishi)

What is BioPQQ?

BioPQQ® is a fermentation-produced pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, a vitamin-like redox compound studied for brain and mitochondrial support. In cell and animal studies PQQ promotes the growth of new mitochondria, the cell's energy producers, though that has not been measured in people.

What is BioPQQ used for?

BioPQQ is researched primarily for Cognitive. In the main BioPQQ trial, 41 healthy older adults were randomly assigned to 20 mg a day or placebo for 12 weeks; the change in the Stroop interference ratio, a measure of selective attention, was significantly smaller in the PQQ group than…

What is the recommended dosage of BioPQQ?

The clinically studied dose is About 20 mg per day. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is BioPQQ safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, BioPQQ is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Well tolerated in the BioPQQ trials that reported it; the 41-person study found no abnormal blood or urine results and no adverse events over 12 weeks. It may also interact with some medications. BioPQQ is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does BioPQQ interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No drug interactions are established, though that reflects a lack of interaction studies rather than proof that none exist. PQQ has not been shown to act as a stimulant, but it is often sold in blends with caffeine or other actives; check the full label of any stack. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for BioPQQ?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for BioPQQ as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 1 clinical trial and 3 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(3 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Yamada Y, Nishii K, Kuwata K, et al. Effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone and imidazole pyrroloquinoline on biological activities and neural functions. Heliyon. 2020;6(1):e03240..PubMedUsed to support: Cell line and aged mouse study comparing PQQ with imidazole pyrroloquinoline. No human data of its own.
  2. Itoh Y, Hine K, Miura H, Uetake T, Nakano M, Takemura N, Sakatani K Effect of the Antioxidant Supplement Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (BioPQQ) on Cognitive Functions Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;876:319-325. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-3023-4_40.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial of BioPQQ 20 mg a day for 12 weeks in 41 healthy elderly subjects. The change in Stroop interference ratio was significantly smaller in the PQQ group than placebo; the visual-spatial (Touch M) gain appeared only in a stratified subgroup with an initial score below 70, and the near-infrared spectroscopy blood flow result is described by the authors as a preliminary experiment. No adverse events, blood or urinary abnormalities were found.
  3. Nakano M, Murayama Y, Hu L, Ikemoto K, Uetake T, Sakatani K Effects of Antioxidant Supplements (BioPQQ) on Cerebral Blood Flow and Oxygen Metabolism in the Prefrontal Cortex Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;923:215-222. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-38810-6_29.PubMedUsed to support: Placebo-controlled study of BioPQQ 20 mg once daily for 12 weeks in 20 healthy people aged 50 to 70, measuring prefrontal cortex blood flow and oxygen metabolism by time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy. Baseline hemoglobin and total hemoglobin rose in the right prefrontal cortex and tissue oxygen saturation fell more in the PQQ group. A physiological measurement study, not a cognitive outcome trial; the link to enhanced cognition is the authors' inference. Manufacturer-affiliated authors.