The Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Oxidative Stress and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in an Experimental Diabetes Model

Abstract

Diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death worldwide. The greatest increase in rates has been seen in low and middle-income countries. Urbanization and lifestyle changes such as an increase in sedentary lifestyles, increase in the intake of foods with high energy but poor nutrition levels have caused a high incidence of the disease worldwide. Treating the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes with nutrients such as antioxidants can reduce further complications of the disease. This study tests whether hyperglycemia triggers endoplasmic reticulum stress in the liver and brain tissues of rats and the possible role of oxidative stress in this pathway. We investigated the relationship between oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress via the TWEAK pathway, and how the coenzyme Q10 affects further diabetic complications. We examined oxidative stress markers (Oxidized Glutathione, Reduced Glutathione) in the liver and brain tissues of rats in the control, diabetic, and diabetic antioxidant groups by ELISA method. We also determined endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (PERK, ATF6, GRP78) and the TWEAK molecule by the Western Blott method in the same experimental groups. Our results underlined that coenzyme Q10 had a significant and positive effect on oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress parameters, and TWEAK levels. We also found a more robust positive correlation between oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress parameters for the liver compared to the brain. However, a significant positive correlation was also seen between TWEAK and endoplasmic reticulum stress of the brain.