On 2014 May 17, David Keller commented:

Simvastatin inhibits the endogenous production of Coenzyme Q-10

Simvastatin has demonstrated some evidence that it might be neuroprotective in Parkinson disease (PD) (1,2), as noted in this abstract, and there is interest in testing that hypothesis. However, all statins inhibit the endogenous production of coenzyme Q10 (3), a substance which is thought to be crucial to the health of neurons. Clinical trials in which pharmacological doses of coenzyme Q10 were administered to PD patients had disappointing results (4), however there is ample reason to believe that inducing an outright deficiency of coenzyme Q10 as a side-effect of administration of simvastatin would be harmful to PD patients. Scientists planning a clinical trial testing simvastatin in PD patients should consider supplementation with a sufficient dose of coenzyme Q10 to overcome any statin-induced deficiency.

References

1: Lee YC, Lin CH, Wu RM, Lin MS, Lin JW, Chang CH, Lai MS. Discontinuation of statin therapy associates with Parkinson disease: a population-based study. Neurology. 2013 Jul 30;81(5):410-6. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829d873c. Epub 2013 Jul 24. PubMed PMID: 23884037.

2: Yan J, Xu Y, Zhu C, Zhang L, Wu A, Yang Y, Xiong Z, Deng C, Huang XF, Yenari MA, Yang YG, Ying W, Wang Q. Simvastatin prevents dopaminergic neurodegeneration in experimental parkinsonian models: the association with anti-inflammatory responses. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20945. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020945. Epub 2011 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 21731633; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3120752.

3: Marcoff L, Thompson PD. The role of coenzyme Q10 in statin-associated myopathy: a systematic review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jun 12;49(23):2231-7. Review. PubMed PMID: 17560286.

4: Parkinson Study Group QE3 Investigators, A randomized clinical trial of high-dosage coenzyme q10 in early Parkinson disease: no evidence of benefit. JAMA Neurol. 2014 May 1;71(5):543-52. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2014.131. PubMed PMID: 24664227.

On 2014 May 17, David Keller commented:

Simvastatin inhibits the endogenous production of Coenzyme Q-10

Simvastatin has demonstrated some evidence that it might be neuroprotective in Parkinson disease (PD) (1,2), as noted in this abstract, and there is interest in testing that hypothesis. However, all statins inhibit the endogenous production of coenzyme Q10 (3), a substance which is thought to be crucial to the health of neurons. Clinical trials in which pharmacological doses of coenzyme Q10 were administered to PD patients had disappointing results (4), however there is ample reason to believe that inducing an outright deficiency of coenzyme Q10 as a side-effect of administration of simvastatin would be harmful to PD patients. Scientists planning a clinical trial testing simvastatin in PD patients should consider supplementation with a sufficient dose of coenzyme Q10 to overcome any statin-induced deficiency.

References

1: Lee YC, Lin CH, Wu RM, Lin MS, Lin JW, Chang CH, Lai MS. Discontinuation of statin therapy associates with Parkinson disease: a population-based study. Neurology. 2013 Jul 30;81(5):410-6. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829d873c. Epub 2013 Jul 24. PubMed PMID: 23884037.

2: Yan J, Xu Y, Zhu C, Zhang L, Wu A, Yang Y, Xiong Z, Deng C, Huang XF, Yenari MA, Yang YG, Ying W, Wang Q. Simvastatin prevents dopaminergic neurodegeneration in experimental parkinsonian models: the association with anti-inflammatory responses. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20945. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020945. Epub 2011 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 21731633; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3120752.

3: Marcoff L, Thompson PD. The role of coenzyme Q10 in statin-associated myopathy: a systematic review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jun 12;49(23):2231-7. Review. PubMed PMID: 17560286.

4: Parkinson Study Group QE3 Investigators, A randomized clinical trial of high-dosage coenzyme q10 in early Parkinson disease: no evidence of benefit. JAMA Neurol. 2014 May 1;71(5):543-52. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2014.131. PubMed PMID: 24664227.