A Pilot Trial of Nicotinamide Riboside and Coenzyme Q10 on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Mitochondria-driven oxidative/redox stress and inflammation play a major role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) pathophysiology. Compounds targeting mitochondrial metabolism may improve mitochondrial function, inflammation, and redox stress; however, there is limited evidence of their efficacy in CKD. Methods: We conducted a pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial comparing the effects of 1200 mg/day of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or 1000 mg/day of nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation to placebo in 25 people with moderate-to-severe CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <60mL/min/1.73m 2 ). We assessed changes in the blood transcriptome using 3'-Tag-Seq gene expression profiling and changes in pre-specified secondary outcomes of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. For a subsample of participants (N=14), we assessed lymphocyte and monocyte bioenergetics using an extracellular flux analyzer. Results: The (mean±SD) age, eGFR, and body mass index of the participants were 61±11 years, 37±9 mL/min/1.73m 2 , and 28±5 kg/m 2 respectively. Of the participants, 16% had diabetes and 40% were female. Compared to placebo, NR-mediated transcriptomic changes were enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms associated with carbohydrate/lipid metabolism and immune signaling while, CoQ10 changes were enriched in immune/stress response and lipid metabolism GO terms. NR increased plasma IL-2 (estimated difference, 0.32, 95% CI of 0.14 to 0.49 pg/mL), and CoQ10 decreased both IL-13 (estimated difference, -0.12, 95% CI of -0.24 to -0.01 pg/mL) and CRP (estimated difference, -0.11, 95% CI of -0.22 to 0.00 mg/dL) compared to placebo. Both NR and CoQ10 reduced 5 series F2-Isoprostanes (estimated difference, -0.16 and -0.11 pg/mL, respectively; P<0.05 for both). NR, but not CoQ10, increased the bioenergetic health index (BHI) (estimated difference, 0.29, 95% CI of 0.06 to 0.53) and spare respiratory capacity (estimated difference, 3.52, 95% CI of 0.04 to 7 pmol/min/10,000 cells) in monocytes. Conclusion: Six weeks of NR and CoQ10 improved markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell bioenergetics in persons with moderate to severe CKD.