Mitochondrial antioxidant therapy fails to improve obese asthma outcomes.
Anne E Dixon, Olivia J Garrow, Peter Callas et al.
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In 30 seconds
This 12-week, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial tested mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant MitoQ in adults with obesity and poorly controlled asthma. Twenty participants were assigned to MitoQ and 18 to placebo. MitoQ did not improve the primary outcome of airway reactivity: median change was 0.0 μg (IQR -25.5 to 1.4) with MitoQ and -0.8 μg (IQR -57 to 0.0) with placebo (p = 0.81). Asthma control and quality-of-life changes also did not differ between groups; the treatment was reported as well tolerated.
Key findings
- Airway reactivity changes did not differ between MitoQ and placebo: 0.0 μg (IQR -25.5 to 1.4) versus -0.8 μg (IQR -57 to 0.0), p = 0.81.
- Asthma Control Test score changes were 1 (IQR -1 to 2) with MitoQ and 1 (IQR -2 to 2) with placebo (p = 0.62).
- Marks Asthma Quality of Life Score changes were -0.08 (IQR -0.35 to 0.10) with MitoQ and -0.05 (IQR -0.30 to 0.15) with placebo (p = 0.80).
- MitoQ was well tolerated, but the trial found no improvement in lung function.
Why it matters
The trial directly tested whether targeting mitochondrial oxidative stress could improve outcomes in adults with obesity and poorly controlled asthma. Its findings did not show benefit across airway reactivity, asthma control, or quality of life over 12 weeks, tempering expectations for MitoQ as an asthma treatment in this population.
What to keep in mind
The trial was small, with 38 participants randomized, and follow-up lasted 12 weeks.