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Ingredients

PQQ

Pyrroloquinoline Quinone · Methoxatin · PQQ Disodium Salt

Snapshot

IndicationsContraindications
  • Cognitive support, aging1
  • Attention and working memory2
  • Inflammatory biomarkers3
  • Retinal neuroprotection (glaucoma)4
  • Mitochondrial function support5
  • Obesity-related metabolic support6
  • Pregnancy (excluded from approval)7
  • Lactation (excluded from approval)7

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a redox-active quinone molecule that functions as an enzymatic cofactor, supporting mitochondrial biogenesis and acting as an antioxidant via sirtuin-pathway modulation.5, 8 Supplementation is used for cognitive support in aging, mitochondrial function, and cardioprotective and neuroprotective indications, with middle-aged to older adults the most common supplement-seeking population.

Human trials number roughly eleven, covering cognitive function in healthy older adults, inflammatory biomarkers, glaucomatous retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function, and ovarian reserve, with no systematic reviews or meta-analyses in the corpus.1, 2 Cognitive randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found significant improvements in composite memory, verbal memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility in middle-aged to elderly participants.1, 2 A crossover RCT in primary open-angle glaucoma published in 2025 found that a fixed combination including PQQ produced better pattern electroretinogram (PERG) parameters and quality-of-life scores than citicoline alone, opening PQQ's potential role in RGC neuroprotection.4 In a 2024 open-label study in healthy women of reproductive age, PQQ supplementation produced no overall change in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), with inconsistent subgroup findings that the authors caution do not permit efficacy conclusions.9 The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded in 2017 that PQQ disodium salt is safe at the intended level of consumption for healthy adults, with a margin of exposure the panel found sufficient.7 Over 325 products listing PQQ are available commercially, predominantly as capsules; see Form comparison.

The EFSA safety opinion explicitly excludes pregnant and lactating women from the approved intended use, a classification-based exclusion rather than a documented harm signal.7 No pharmacokinetic interactions are established in the corpus; trials to date are short-term, so long-term safety data remain limited.

Last updated October 9, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

42 sources, 23 studies

  • When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
  • SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
  • InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
  • Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
  • How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
  • Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
  • Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
  • Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.
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Sources

  1. 1Effect of Dietary Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt on Cognitive Function in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govShiojima, Takahashi, Takahashi et al. · Journal of the American Nutrition Association · 2022 · Pubmed
  2. 2Effect of the Antioxidant Supplement Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (BioPQQ™) on Cognitive Functions.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govItoh, Hine, Miura et al. · Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2016 · Pubmed
  3. 3Dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) alters indicators of inflammation and mitochondrial-related metabolism in human subjects.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govHarris, Chowanadisai, Mishchuk et al. · The Journal of nutritional biochemistry · 2013 · Pubmed
  4. 4Randomized, Cross over, Multicenter, Single-Blind Study Comparing Citicoline 500 mg/Homotaurine 50 mg/Vitamin B3 54 mg/Pyrroloquinoline Quinone 5 mg (Neuprozin Mito®) and Citicoline 800 mg (Cebrolux®) on Pattern Electroretinogram (PERG) and Quality of Life in Patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma with Well-Controlled Intraocular Pressure.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govRossi, Rinaldi, Matarazzo et al. · Journal of clinical medicine · 2025 · Pubmed
  5. 5Pyrroloquinoline-Quinone Is More Than an Antioxidant: A Vitamin-like Accessory Factor Important in Health and Disease Prevention.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govJonscher, Chowanadisai, Rucker · Biomolecules · 2021 · Pubmed
  6. 6Metabolic and Biochemical Effects of Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ) on Inflammation and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Potential Health Benefits in Obesity and Future Perspectives.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCharrier, Cerullo, Carpenito et al. · Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024 · Pubmed
  7. 7Safety of pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov(NDA), Turck, Bresson et al. · EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2017 · Pubmed
  8. 8Recent progress in studies on the health benefits of pyrroloquinoline quinone.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAkagawa, Nakano, Ikemoto · Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry · 2016 · Pubmed
  9. 9Serum anti-Müllerian hormone response to pyrroloquinoline quinone supplementation in healthy women: no overall change and exploratory subgroup findings.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govTsuji, Takiuchi, Handa et al. · Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026 · Pubmed