Background

The mitochondrial cofactors α-lipoic acid (ALA), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and carnitine (CARN) play distinct and complementary roles in mitochondrial functioning, along with strong antioxidant actions. Also termed mitochondrial nutrients (MNs), these cofactors have demonstrated specific protective actions in a number of chronic disorders, as assessed in a well-established body of literature.

Methods

Using PubMed, the authors searched for articles containing information on the utilization of MNs in inflammatory disorders as assessed from in vitro and animal studies, and in clinical trials, in terms of exerting anti-inflammatory actions.

Results

The retrieved literature provided evidence relating acute pathologic conditions, such as sepsis and pneumonia, with a number of redox endpoints of biological and clinical relevance. Among these findings, both ALA and CARN were effective in counteracting inflammation-associated redox biomarkers, while CoQ10 showed decreased levels in proinflammatory conditions. MN-associated antioxidant actions were applied in a number of acute disorders, mostly using one MN. The body of literature assessing the safety and the complementary roles of MNs taken together suggests an adjuvant role of MN combinations in counteracting oxidative stress in sepsis and other acute disorders, including COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

Conclusions

The present state of art in the use of individual MNs in acute disorders suggests planning adjuvant therapy trials utilizing MN combinations aimed at counteracting proinflammatory conditions, as in the case of pneumonia and the COVID-19 pandemic.

中文翻译：

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线粒体辅助因子在辅助缓解促炎性急性感染（如脓毒症和 COVID-19 肺炎）中的潜在作用

 背景

线粒体辅因子α-硫辛酸 (ALA)、辅酶 Q10 (CoQ10) 和肉碱 (CARN) 在线粒体功能中发挥独特且互补的作用，并具有强大的抗氧化作用。这些辅助因子也称为线粒体营养素 (MN)，已在许多慢性疾病中表现出特定的保护作用，正如大量文献所评估的那样。

 方法

作者使用 PubMed 搜索了包含 MN 在炎症性疾病中的应用信息的文章，这些信息是通过体外和动物研究以及临床试验评估的，以发挥抗炎作用。

 结果

检索到的文献提供了与脓毒症和肺炎等急性病理状况相关的证据，以及许多具有生物学和临床相关性的氧化还原终点。在这些发现中，ALA 和 CARN 都能有效对抗炎症相关的氧化还原生物标志物，而 CoQ10 在促炎症条件下表现出水平下降。 MN 相关的抗氧化作用已应用于许多急性疾病，其中大多数使用一种 MN。对 MN 的安全性和互补作用进行综合评估的文献表明，MN 组合在对抗脓毒症和其他急性疾病（包括 COVID-19 相关肺炎）中的氧化应激方面具有辅助作用。

 结论

目前在急性疾病中使用单个 MN 的最新技术表明，计划利用 MN 组合进行辅助治疗试验，旨在对抗促炎性疾病，如肺炎和 COVID-19 大流行。