Is PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) Safe with Doxorubicin?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid PQQ supplementation during active doxorubicin treatment. Discuss any antioxidant use with your oncologist before and after chemotherapy cycles.
Why this interaction occurs
Doxorubicin exerts cytotoxic effects primarily through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and topoisomerase II inhibition. PQQ is a potent mitochondrial antioxidant and biogenesis stimulator that can scavenge ROS and enhance mitochondrial resilience. Co-administration risks attenuating doxorubicin's oxidative cytotoxic mechanism in tumor cells, potentially reducing chemotherapy efficacy based on in vitro and animal model data.
Evidence
Evidence level: limited.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 109,696 reports mentioning Doxorubicin. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Doxorubicin + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) interactions → · All Doxorubicin interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.