Plaquex
Intravenous polyenylphosphatidylcholine · not FDA-approved
What it is + mitochondrial link
Plaquex is a slow IV infusion of soybean-derived polyenylphosphatidylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is a major structural lipid in biological membranes, while mitochondrial membrane integrity is essential to energy production. A 2026 Nature Communications study linked age-related loss of phosphatidylcholine synthesis to mitochondrial-network disruption and restored mitochondrial integrity in worms and metabolic resilience in human cell culture. That supports the pathway—not IV Plaquex in people.
What the evidence shows
There are no large modern randomized trials showing that IV phosphatidylcholine clears arterial plaque, improves cardiovascular outcomes or treats mitochondrial dysfunction. Frequently repeated percentage claims and two clinic-cited journal studies could not be verified in primary literature. More rigorously engineered phospholipid/apoA-I infusion programs such as MDCO-216 and CER-001 also failed to demonstrate plaque regression, which argues for caution when translating membrane biology into a vascular claim.
Risks + bottom line
Reported concerns include vein irritation or thrombophlebitis, low blood pressure if infused too quickly, nausea, diarrhea, rare allergy, a mild anticoagulant effect and soy exposure. The FDA’s 2010 warnings involved cosmetic phosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate “lipodissolve” injections—not this infusion protocol—but underscore that phosphatidylcholine products and claims are not automatically approved. The mitochondrial hypothesis is interesting; clinical evidence for the marketed IV therapy is weak to absent.