EFFECTS OF PYRROLOQUINOLINE QUINONE (PQQ) SUPPLEMENTATION ON NON-ENDURANCE TRAINED ATHLETES

NCT07148726 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HEC-DSB/05-21
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 24
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of six weeks of PQQ supplementation in non-endurance-trained individuals on:

1. 1.physiological and metabolic response during a FATmax-VO₂peak exercise test
2. 2.resting energy expenditure, body composition and blood biomarkers (fasting glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels)
3. 3.blood and urine omics markers of oxidative metabolism 24 basketball players will be randomized to consume a supplement containing 20 mg/day of PQQ or placebo (PLA) during a six-week intervention. Subjects will be encouraged to maintain their usual diet and training schedule. Body composition will be assessed by dual-energy-x-ray-absorptiometry and bioimpedance analysis. Aerobic exercise performance will be evaluated through a graded exercise protocol (six 5-minutes steps followed by n 2-minutes steps until exhaustion; the initial workload was 60 watts and increased by 35 watts at the end of each step) performed on a cycle ergometer. Capillary blood lactate samples were collected at the end of each step. Blood and urine samples were also collected, and metabolomics analysis will be performed.

Conditions

Mitochondrial Biogenesis; Inflammation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Fat oxidation during FATmax-VO₂peak exercise test using gas analyzer.

  Participants perform a graded exercise test on an electronically braked bicycle ergometer. A modified FATmax protocol is employed. After a 10-min warm-up at 50 W, the test commenced at 60 W and the workload increased by 35 W every 5 min until the participant could no longer maintain a cadence ≥60 rpm. The volume of Oxygen uptake (VO₂) and carbon dioxide production (VCO₂) per minute were recorded via a breath-by-breath gas analyzer. The average V̇O2 and V̇CO2 is extracted over the final 2 min of each stage of the test to ensure steady-state values . FatAT and carbohydrate (CHO) CHO oxidation and energy expenditure are calculated via stoichiometric equations (Jeukendrup \& Wallis, 2005) and appropriate energy equivalents, with the assumption that the urinary nitrogen excretion rate was negligible. Data are analyzed workload-matched

  6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

PQQ GROUP

EXPERIMENTAL

PQQ supplemented participants will receive 20mg/PQQ die

Dietary Supplement: Pyrrole Quinoline Quinone (PQQ)

PLACEBO GROUP

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

participants will be given a placebo for 36 days

Other: Placebo

Interventions

Pyrrole Quinoline Quinone (PQQ) DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Subjects will be provided with 84 capsules of the PQQ or the placebo supplement. Both supplements were in capsule form and identical in size, shape and color. The PQQ content per capsule was 10 mg. The indication was to take two capsules every evening for 6 weeks. The duration of the supplementation protocol was assessed based on a previous study (Hwang et al., 2020), while the dose was chosen according to EFSA recommendations (Turck et al., 2017).

PQQ GROUP

Placebo OTHER

Subjects were provided with 84 capsules of placebo. The indication will be to take two capsules every evening for 6 weeks.

PLACEBO GROUP

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• \) Age: Participants aged between 18 and 40 years.
• \) Body mass index (BMI): BMI within the range of 18-30 kg/m².
• \) Physical activity: Regular engagement in non-endurance physical activities (3-4 times a week), with no participation in structured endurance training programs.

You may not qualify if:

• \) chronic disease;
• \) acute illness; and
• \) use of dietary supplements, pharmacological agents, or adherence to a hypocaloric diet.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Padova: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nutrition and Exercise Lab, DSB, University of Padova

Padua, Italy, 35131, Italy

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Inflammation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 22, 2025
• First Posted: August 29, 2025
• Study Start: September 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: August 15, 2025
• Study Completion: August 15, 2025
• Last Updated: September 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

IT (1)