Coenzyme Q10 (also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at times to CoQ10, CoQ, Q10, or Q) is a benzoquinone, where Q refers to the quinone chemical group, and 10 refers to the isoprenyl chemical subunits.

This vitamin-like substance is, by nature, present in most human cells except red blood cells and eye lens cells (no mitochondria) and is responsible for the production of the body's own energy. In each human cell, food energy is converted into energy in the mitochondria with the aid of CoQ10. Ninety-five percent of all the human body's energy requirements (ATP) is converted with the aid of CoQ10.Ernster L, Dallner G: Biochemical, physiological and medical aspects of ubiquinone function. Biochim Biophys Acta 1271: 195-204, 1995Dutton PL, Ohnishi T, Darrouzet E, Leonard, MA, Sharp RE, Cibney BR, Daldal F and Moser CC. 4 Coenzyme Q oxidation reduction reactions in mitochondrial electron transport (pp 65-82) in Coenzyme Q: Molecular mechanisms in health and disease edited by Kagan VE and Quinn PJ, CRC Press (2000), Boca Raton Therefore, those organs with the highest energy requirements ? such as the heart and the liver ? have the highest CoQ10 concentrations.Okamoto, T.et al (1989) Interna.J.Vit.Nutr.Res.,59,288-292Aberg,F.et al (1992)Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 295, 230-234Shindo, Y., Witt, E., Han, D., Epstein, W., and Packer, L., Enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants in epidermis and dermis of human skin, Invest. Dermatol., 102 (1994) 122-124.