Bio PQQ

Bio PQQ at a Glance

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a small quinone found in trace amounts in natto, parsley, green tea and human breast milk. BioPQQ is a branded, fermentation-derived disodium salt — the form most human trials have used.

Its distinctive property is that it is a recyclable antioxidant. Most antioxidants are consumed when they neutralise a radical; a quinone can be reduced and reoxidised repeatedly, scavenging many times over. It is also studied for stimulating the growth of new mitochondria.

What It’s Used For

• Cognition & memory — supports memory and cognition in older and healthy adults.
• Oxidative-stress markers — lowers plasma markers of oxidative stress.
• Fatigue, sleep & mood — improves reported fatigue, sleep and mood.
• Mitochondrial biogenesis / inflammation — promotes mitochondrial growth and lowers inflammatory markers.
• Exercise / ergogenic — studied for exercise performance.

How It Works

PQQ’s redox cycling lets it neutralise superoxide and peroxyl radicals repeatedly before degrading, which is the basis of its oxidative-stress results.

The mitochondrial claim runs through PGC-1α and CREB signalling, which upregulate mitochondrial biogenesis — literally building more mitochondria. Its neuroprotective rationale comes from stimulating nerve growth factor production in astroglial cells. It is dosed at 10–20 mg daily and often paired with CoQ10, which acts at a different point in mitochondrial function.

The full trial record is in Pharmacology & Research below.

Pharmacology & Research

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ, methoxatin) is a small, water-soluble redox-cycling quinone that acts as a cofactor and antioxidant. It was first isolated from bacterial alcohol dehydrogenase in 1979 and later found in human tissue, breast milk and many plant foods; it is not an established human vitamin, but it is a bioactive dietary factor with real mechanistic pharmacology (mitochondrial biogenesis, radical scavenging, nerve-growth-factor induction) ^{6Reference 6Rucker et al. · 2009ReviewPotential physiological importance of pyrroloquinoline quinone — [review]View study →}.

The human evidence is dominated by small, short (8–12 week), often industry-sponsored trials of the disodium salt (BioPQQ / mnemoPQQ), concentrated on cognition, fatigue/sleep and mitochondrial markers. Effects are real in mechanism but modest and inconsistently replicated in people, and — unlike a mineral or vitamin — there is no deficiency state to correct, so benefits are “extra on top of adequacy” rather than repletion. Only one supplemental form (the disodium salt) has been studied in almost all human trials, so bioavailability caveats are minor but the funding and sample-size caveats are large.

Evidence by IndicationStrength of support · Beta

Support is an experimental score I’m building — a composite weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro > review) and study volume. It’s a beta: a fast way to rank strength of evidence at a glance, not a validated metric. Each application links down to its write-up.

01Cognition & memoryPromising52%Several small elderly/healthy-adult RCTs of the disodium salt; subdomain gains, manufacturer-funded ^{1,2Reference 1Itoh et al. · 2016RCTEffect of the antioxidant supplement pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (BioPQQ) on cognitive functions — [randomized controlled trial]View study →Reference 2Shiojima et al. · 2022RCTEffect of dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on cognitive function in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study — [RCT]View study →}

02Oxidative-stress markersPromising50%Small human crossover showing lower plasma lipid peroxides; strong in-vitro antioxidant data ^{3,10Reference 3Harris et al. · 2013Clinical trialDietary pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) alters indicators of inflammation and mitochondrial-related metabolism in human subjects — [crossover study]View study →Reference 10Miyauchi et al. · 1999In vitroAction of pyrroloquinolinequinol as an antioxidant against lipid peroxidation in solution — [in vitro]View study →}

03Fatigue, sleep & moodShaky38%Small short trials, self-reported endpoints ^{2,7Reference 2Shiojima et al. · 2022RCTEffect of dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on cognitive function in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study — [RCT]View study →Reference 7Ikemoto et al. · 2024ReviewThe effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on brain function and physiological processes — [review]View study →}

04Mitochondrial biogenesis / inflammationShaky34%One 10-subject crossover for markers; mechanism strong in animals/cells ^{3,4Reference 3Harris et al. · 2013Clinical trialDietary pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) alters indicators of inflammation and mitochondrial-related metabolism in human subjects — [crossover study]View study →Reference 4Chowanadisai et al. · 2010In vitroPyrroloquinoline quinone stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through CREB phosphorylation and increased PGC-1α — [in vitro]View study →}

05Exercise / ergogenicShaky22%Single 6-week RCT, largely null for performance ^{8Reference 8Hwang et al. · 2020RCTEffects of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) supplementation on aerobic exercise performance and indices of mitochondrial biogenesis in untrained men — [RCT, largely null]View study →}

Mechanisms

Pharmacokinetics

PQQ (as the disodium salt) is water-soluble and orally absorbed; human dosing studies use single oral doses around 0.2 mg/kg and daily supplementation of 20 mg. Plasma and urinary PQQ rise measurably after ingestion and clear within roughly 48 hours, indicating a relatively short residence with renal excretion ^{3Reference 3Harris et al. · 2013Clinical trialDietary pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) alters indicators of inflammation and mitochondrial-related metabolism in human subjects — [crossover study]View study →}. There is no established storage pool or defined human requirement. Because almost all human trials use the same disodium-salt form, form-specific bioavailability differences are not a major practical variable here — unlike minerals.

Clinical trials

Registered and published human trials are few and small, largely sponsored by manufacturers of the disodium salt (Mitsubishi Gas Chemical / BioPQQ; Ryusendo / mnemoPQQ); most preclinical work is in rodents and cell culture, and PQQ is off the radar of large independent trial programs.

Last checked: July 2026.

Dietary Sources

PQQ is not made in meaningful amounts by the human body but is widespread at low levels in the diet and in human breast milk, so most people already have a small baseline intake. Reported dietary intakes are on the order of a few milligrams per day at most — far below the 20 mg used in supplement trials.

Food	Approx. PQQ content
Fermented soy (natto)	Among the richest sources
Parsley, green pepper	Relatively high (µg per gram)
Kiwifruit, papaya	Moderate
Green tea, oolong tea	Moderate (per serving)
Tofu, spinach	Lower
Human breast milk	Present — notable for infant intake

Levels vary widely by assay and food, and early reports of very high egg/skim-milk content were not confirmed. Ordinary diets supply roughly micrograms-to-low-milligrams per day; the supplemental 20 mg dose is far above dietary exposure ^{11Reference 11Kumazawa et al. · 1995Levels of pyrroloquinoline quinone in various foods — [food-composition analysis]View study →}.

Dosage & Intake

There is no RDA, AI or Tolerable Upper Intake Level for PQQ — it is not classified as an essential human nutrient. Human trials almost universally use 20 mg/day of PQQ disodium salt (BioPQQ / mnemoPQQ), with some protocols around 10 mg/day; single-dose pharmacokinetic work used ~0.2 mg/kg. PQQ is water-soluble and typically taken once daily; there is no established need for split dosing (unlike minerals, where fractional absorption falls with dose). Because the disodium salt is the form in nearly all studies, “PQQ” on a label almost always means this form, so compound-vs-elemental weight distinctions are minor.

These are doses studied in research, not a personal recommendation.

Safety

PQQ looks clean at the doses people actually take — the honest limitation is duration rather than toxicity, since no human trial has run beyond about 12 weeks.

Safety at a Glance

✅ Low / no toxicity

• Well tolerated at 20 mg/day. No consistent pattern of serious adverse effects across 8–12 week human trials.
• Animal toxicity appears only at extreme doses. Rat kidney effects and an oral LD50 of ~1,400–1,800 mg/kg sit orders of magnitude above the human dose.
• Not established in pregnancy or breastfeeding. See the box below.
• No interaction data. No clinically significant drug interactions are established, and theoretical ones have not been formally assessed.

Full Safety & Interactions Detail

PQQ disodium salt is well tolerated in short human trials at 20 mg/day, with no consistent pattern of serious adverse effects reported over 8–12 weeks. The dose-limiting concerns come from animal toxicology: a subchronic rat study identified kidney effects at high doses, and GLP safety studies put the rat oral LD50 in the ~1,400–1,800 mg/kg range — i.e. adverse effects appear only at exposures orders of magnitude above the human 20 mg dose ^{12,13Reference 12Shiojima et al. · 2022Safety assessment of a novel dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ) — [GLP toxicity study]View study →Reference 13Liang et al. · 2015AnimalA subchronic oral toxicity study on pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) disodium salt in rats — [animal toxicology]View study →}.

No drug interactions of clinical significance are established; theoretical interactions (e.g. with other redox-active supplements) have not been formally assessed.

Scope of this safety review (for honesty, not a claim):

• Interactions assessed? No — no formal human drug-interaction studies; only theoretical considerations.
• Pregnancy/lactation assessed? No — no supplemental-dose human trials; natural presence in breast milk does not establish supplement safety.
• Upper Limit? No UL set — the absence of a UL does not imply unlimited intake is safe; long-term human safety above 20 mg/day is untested.

Pregnancy & Lactation

• Caution in pregnancy• Caution while breastfeeding

Verdict: avoid / not established. PQQ occurs naturally in breast milk, but there are no human safety trials of supplemental PQQ in pregnancy or lactation. Because supplemental doses greatly exceed dietary/breast-milk exposure and long-term data are absent, supplementation is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding without clinician guidance.

References

1. Itoh, Y., Hine, K., Miura, H., et al. (2016). Effect of the antioxidant supplement pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (BioPQQ) on cognitive functions — [randomized controlled trial]. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26782228/
2. Shiojima, Y., Takahashi, M., Takahashi, R., et al. (2022). Effect of dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on cognitive function in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study — [RCT]. Journal of the American Nutrition Association. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34415830/
3. Harris, C. B., Chowanadisai, W., Mishchuk, D. O., et al. (2013). Dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) alters indicators of inflammation and mitochondrial-related metabolism in human subjects — [crossover study]. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24231099/
4. Chowanadisai, W., Bauerly, K. A., Tchaparian, E., et al. (2010). Pyrroloquinoline quinone stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through CREB phosphorylation and increased PGC-1α — [in vitro]. Journal of Biological Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19861415/
5. Murase, K., Hattori, A., Kohno, M., & Hayashi, K. (1993). Stimulation of nerve growth factor synthesis/secretion in mouse astroglial cells by coenzymes (PQQ) — [in vitro]. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology International. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8401318/
6. Rucker, R., Chowanadisai, W., & Nakano, M. (2009). Potential physiological importance of pyrroloquinoline quinone — [review]. Alternative Medicine Review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19803551/
7. Ikemoto, K., Mohamad Ishak, N. S., & Akagawa, M. (2024). The effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on brain function and physiological processes — [review]. The Journal of Medical Investigation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38735721/
8. Hwang, P. S., Machek, S. B., Cardaci, T. D., et al. (2020). Effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) supplementation on aerobic exercise performance and indices of mitochondrial biogenesis in untrained men — [RCT, largely null]. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31860387/
9. Akagawa, M., Nakano, M., & Ikemoto, K. (2016). Recent progress in studies on the health benefits of pyrroloquinoline quinone — [review]. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168402/
10. Miyauchi, K., Urakami, T., Abeta, H., et al. (1999). Action of pyrroloquinolinequinol as an antioxidant against lipid peroxidation in solution — [in vitro]. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11233151/
11. Kumazawa, T., Sato, K., Seno, H., et al. (1995). Levels of pyrroloquinoline quinone in various foods — [food-composition analysis]. Biochemical Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7733865/
12. Shiojima, Y., Deshmukh, N., Moriyama, H., et al. (2022). Safety assessment of a novel dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ) — [GLP toxicity study]. Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35546737/
13. Liang, C., Zhang, X., et al. (2015). A subchronic oral toxicity study on pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) disodium salt in rats — [animal toxicology]. Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25445509/

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