The Mitochondrial “Vitamin” from Interstellar Dust

There’s a molecule that’s been tentatively identified in the same interstellar material that forms stars and planets, yet it also shapes growth, metabolism, and cognition here on Earth. In several mammalian species,Its absence causes deficiency and it's repletion, resolution; and no, it’s not a vitamin, but should it be?

Its chemistry is analogous to the combination of vitamin B2, vitamin B6 vitamin C, and its role in evolution may trace back to the very beginning of biology.

00:00 – From Interstellar Dust to Human Biology
01:06 – Discovery: A New Redox Co-Factor
01:44 – Biological Role: Deficiency, Growth, and Evolution
02:41 – Mechanisms: NAD⁺ Regeneration and Mitochondrial Signaling
03:11 – Human Evidence: Cognitive and Metabolic Effects
04:41 – Chemistry & Safety: Potency and Tolerability
06:55 – Conclusion

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8533503/

Chapters

• 0:00 A Molecule On The Edge Of Life
• 1:15 The 1964 Mystery And PQQ’s Discovery
• 2:14 Deficiency Signals Across Species
• 3:10 Human Trials And Mitochondrial Benefits
• 4:23 Redox Network, NAD Plus, And Safety
• 7:23 From Stardust To Cells

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

There are some molecules that challenge how we define life, molecules that blur the line between nutrient signal and catalyst. This one has even been detected in the same interstellar material that forms stars and planets, hinting that it may have been present at the very beginning of biology itself, yet within living systems, it behaves as if it's always belonged there, influencing growth, reproduction, and mitochondrial function across species. Remove it from the diet, and the result looks like a deficiency. Supply it again and normal physiology resumes. That's a characteristic that only vitamins can boast. Its antioxidant potential is more than seven times that of vitamin C, and unlike most antioxidants, it recycles repeatedly without degradation. The effective concentration required for those actions is in the nanomolar to micromolar range where most nutrients need millimolar levels. At those scales, its activity starts to resemble a pharmaceutical, not a dietary factor. Its presence is universal, its classification uncertain, and its role still expanding. I am your host, William Wallace, and you're listening to Daily Value. The story begins in 1964 when researchers noticed a strange enzyme in bacteria that could oxidize alcohols without using the usual cofactors. These were NAD plus and the active form of vitamin B2, which most of you probably know something about. For nearly 15 years, no one could explain how that reaction was even possible until 1979, when Anthony J. Deween and colleagues in the Netherlands isolated a small quinone compound responsible for the chemistry. They named it Peroloquinolin quinone or PQQ, the first new redox cofactor discovered since the classical vitamins of the early 20th century. At first, PQQ seemed like a bacterial oddity, then came a surprise. When animals were raised on experimental diets completely lacking it, they developed deficiency-like syndromes, slower growth, reproductive impairment, and loss of mitochondrial content. When the compound was restored, those changes reversed. That finding placed PQQ in very rare company. No other organic biofactor outside the known vitamins had ever produced a clear deficiency and recovery response. Chemically, it behaves as though several nutrients were condensed into one, sharing traits with vitamin C, riboflavin, which is vitamin B2, and vitamin B6. Its presence spans nearly every kingdom of life. Some organisms that can't make PQQ will still use it when available. Even plants, which don't synthesize it, grow faster when they're exposed to it. The cross-species clues point to an ancient molecule that life has depended on for far longer than we've realized. In enzyme assays, it shows an antioxidant capacity more than seven times greater than vitamin C, yet it remains stable and can cycle repeatedly without degrading. Unlike most antioxidants, it recycles itself repeatedly, transferring electrons with extraordinary efficiency. Together, these observations raise a very worthy question for nutrition science. If removing it creates deficiency, restoring it reverses that state, and nearly all living systems rely on it, how is this not already classified as a vitamin? When research shifted from animals to humans, the same pattern emerged. Removing PQQ altered metabolism, reintroducing it restored balance. In small controlled studies, supplementation produced measurable physiological changes. Even at modest doses, typically 10 to 20 milligrams per day, in one randomized double-blind trial, adults taking PQQ daily showed reduced inflammation, along with shifts in metabolites linked to oxidative energy production, these changes pointed to improved mitochondrial efficiency, mirroring what had already been seen in animal models. In older adults, a separate placebo-controlled study found that 20 milligrams per day, enhanced cognitive performance, and increased regional cerebral blood flow, especially in areas tied to attention and memory. The strongest improvements were seen in those starting with the lowest baseline function, suggesting PQQ's benefits may be most apparent when metabolism is already under stress. Beyond the brain, its effects extend to the gut and peripheral metabolism. Exposure increases the expression of tight junction proteins in intestinal tissue, strengthening barrier integrity, and it has been shown to raise butyrate levels, interestingly enough. That's a short chain fatty acid that's very important for gut and brain health. Taken together, these findings frame PQQ not as a stimulant but as a metabolic stabilizer, a compound that supports mitochondrial function, lowers oxidative load, and helps restore the cellular communication that tends to fade with age. What makes PQQ unusual isn't just what it does, it's how little of it it takes to do it. Most antioxidants work by donating an electron once and then burning out. PQQ is different. It can transfer electrons hundreds or even thousands of times without breaking down, allowing it to keep recycling within the cell. Inside mitochondria, PQQ interacts with enzymes that help regenerate NAD plus, that's one of the cell's primary energy currencies. By keeping NAD plus levels higher, it indirectly supports the activity of longevity proteins that trigger mitochondrial growth and repair. In simpler terms, it helps mitochondria make more mitochondria. PQQ's chemistry also allows it to protect and restore other antioxidants, such as vitamin E after they neutralize free radicals. This makes it more of a redox network coordinator rather than a single antioxidant molecule. The result is a cascade of small advantages, improved energy production, fewer damaged lipids, and better mitochondrial signaling. It doesn't push metabolism faster, it helps it run cleaner, kind of like improving the efficiency of an engine rather than pressing harder on the accelerator. The human data suggests that PQQ begins influencing measurable biology at surprisingly low levels. Studies show that 20 milligrams per day can optimize mitochondrial biogenesis in humans, in other words, increasing the expression of genes that control energy production and cellular renewal. The concentrations required for PQQ to exert these effects are remarkably low in the nanomolar to micromolar range where most nutrients require millimolar levels. At that scale, its behavior begins to resemble a pharmacical agent, not a conventional dietary factor. That's just meant to provide an idea as to its potency for its claimed effects. At those same doses, participants consistently report improvements in memory and cognitive function effects that mirror its ability to activate the same pathways that drive mitochondrial growth. Safety has never been the limiting factor. PQQ meets all US FDA generally recognized as safe requirements. We also call those GRASS requirements. Across studies, daily intakes of up to 20 milligrams have been well tolerated in healthy adults with no adverse effects reported. Few compounds bridge biology and chemistry the way this one does. It behaves like a nutrient, performs like an enzyme cofactor, and signals like a hormone at times. Its absence can cause deficiency, its restoration normalizes metabolism, and its chemistry remains unlike anything else we classify as a vitamin. From a molecule once detected in interstellar star dust to one now recognized for its role in human metabolism, PQQ closes the distance between cosmic chemistry and life itself. The same compound that may have drifted through space billions of years ago now fuels the reactions that sustain ourselves. A quiet reminder that the chemistry of stars may have helped shape the biology of evolution. Thank you for joining me today on Daily Value. Until next time. Stay healthy.