PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone) may be the first new vitamin to be identified in over five decades. While the compound was first identified in 1979, its presence and function in animals has only started to be understood in the last decade. It’s been found to have antioxidant and neuroprotective properties as well as contributing to mitochondrial health. It is thought to work as as enzyme cofactor somewhat like vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and so someday may be grouped as one of the B vitamins which, like PQQ, are also water-soluble nutrients.

PQQ’s Effects on Mitochondria

Recent research suggests it helps mitochondria function better (somewhat like the antioxidant and coenzyme CoQ10) and to form new mitochrondia. The mitochondria are chemical energy factories in cells. Human cells can have from a few to hundreds per cell. Aging humans suffer from damage to their mitochondria and declining numbers of mitochondria. Mitochondrial damage and depopulation is thought to be a major factor in some diseases, particularly those involving energy-intensive organs like the brain, heart, and liver. PQQ appears to both help mitochondria avoid oxidative damage and to help form new mitochondria.

http://emediahealth.com/2010/11/06/vitamin-like-pqq-offers-antioxidant-neuroprotective-and-mitochondrial-health-benefits/