This innovation can reduce the risk of heart disease through everyday meals.

Kaif Shaikh

Chinese researchers have successfully created a strain of rice that predominantly produces coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant often associated with improved heart health. The breakthrough, achieved through precision gene editing, could pave the way for future innovations in staple crops such as wheat, maize, and various vegetables.

CoQ10, also called ubiquinone, is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, but levels typically decline with age. Scientists have noted that people with heart disease or those using cholesterol-lowering drugs often have significantly lower CoQ10 levels. Although certain foods like fish, meat, and nuts contain CoQ10, grains such as rice and wheat generally produce a related compound called CoQ9, which lacks many heart-health benefits.

Explaining the genetically altered, heart-healthy rice 

“Engineering CoQ10 production in crops would benefit human health,” stated researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in a paper published in Cell on February 13. The team, led by plant expert Caixia Gao of the CAS Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and plant physiologist Chen Xiaoya at the CAS Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), set out to modify the genetic makeup of rice so that it would favor CoQ10 over CoQ9.

SCMP highlights that, to accomplish this, scientists analyzed 134 plant samples spanning 67 plant families. They discovered that some species naturally produced higher levels of CoQ10, an ancestral trait retained by certain magnoliids such as avocados and cinnamon. Over time, crop plants like rice, wheat, and cucumbers appear to have evolved to generate CoQ9 instead predominantly.

After pinpointing the amino acid sites responsible for this variation, the team utilized a technique known as prime editing, which allows precise alterations in an organism’s DNA without introducing foreign genes.

By editing five specific amino acid sites, they produced rice grains that contained 75 percent CoQ10 in their leaves and grain, amounting to roughly five micrograms of CoQ10 per gram of rice. “Synthesis of CoQ10 instead of CoQ9 had no discernible impact on the grain yield of the Q10 rice plants,” the researchers reported.

The CAS team also confirmed the resulting strains were not transgenic and showed no unintended genetic mutations. Co-first author Xu Jingjing explained that while the CoQ10 content in this edited rice is comparable to levels found in certain plant-based foods such as tomatoes, it is still lower than that of meat and fish. “In the future, attempts will be made to further increase the CoQ10 content by editing other key genes,” Xu said.

Enhancing key dietary sources to fill the gap

Although humans generally consume between 3 and 6 milligrams of CoQ10 per day from their diets, some studies suggest that the optimal daily intake could be closer to 500 milligrams.

Since rice, wheat, and maize collectively account for more than half the global calorie intake, fortifying these staples could help bridge the gap for individuals with increased nutritional needs. The researchers have expanded their approach to bread wheat, which supplies around 20 percent of the world’s caloric intake.

According to the team, the prime-editing technique employed here could also be used for other cereals and vegetables that typically produce CoQ9 instead of CoQ10.

By enriching these key dietary sources with a beneficial antioxidant, scientists hope to offer a convenient way to support heart health and overall well-being. While the current research remains in its early stages, it represents a promising step toward more nutritious, biofortified crops that could significantly impact global public health.

Published Date: February 25, 2025