Comment · Sat, June 25, 2016 · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Border between natural product and drug: Comparison of the related benzoquinones idebenone and coenzyme Q10 (2015)
What they were answering
enterloop · 2 points
Based on their partial structural relatedness, CoQ10 and idebenone share the ability to act as potent antioxidants and to donate electrons to complex III of the ETC. Beyond this however, both molecules differ significantly with regards to pharmacokinetics, bioactivation and modulation of cellular energy production
[...]
based on the current scientific information, including the studies and results described above, the synthetic idebenone harbours an entirely different repertoire of molecular activities compared to the natural CoQ10. As a consequence, idebenone and CoQ10 are unable to substitute for each other. Thus, the currently used habit of many authors of scientific publications and internet sites of referring to idebenone as a CoQ10 analogue lacks any scientific evidence.
tl;dr : If someone on the internet says "idebenone is a CoQ10 analogue", you can (politely correct them | tell them they're wrong and insultingly question their intelligence), and post a link to this study.
EDIT : See MisterYouAreSoDumb's comment.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Hey now, let's not go crazy. It is certainly a CoQ10 analog. It's molecular structure is based on CoQ10. Analogs do not need to share the same, or even similar, effects.
In chemistry, a structural analog, also known as a chemical analog or simply an analog, is a compound having a structure similar to that of another one, but differing from it in respect of a certain component.
That's exactly what idebenone is. It may not share effects, or substitute for each other. However, it is a molecular analog of CoQ10. The wording from the authors is way off. They can address the issue without going into hyperbole. The main takeaway is that idebenone and Co10 have different absorption, bioavailabilities, mechanisms, and effects. So one cannot be considered a prodrug of the other, nor can they substitute for one another.
So just like Sulbutiamine is an analog of vitamin B1, the pharmacokinetics and mechanisms are different. It's the same for DMAE and choline, or Pyritinol and B6, or Piracetam and Phenylpiracetam, or Phenylethylamine and Methamphetamine. I think the authors are confused on what an analog is. It has nothing to do with effects, and everything to do with chemical structure. However, their paper is very well written otherwise, and has a lot of good information. The real takaway for people should be that CoQ10 and idebenone act differently in the body, and one is not just a more potent version of the other.