The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplement on blood lipid indices and hepatic antioxidant defense system in SD rats fed a high cholesterol diet

Ha-Na Kim,Yong Lim,In-Surk Jang,Dong-Gyung Jeon

doi:10.1186/s42826-019-0013-1

Abstract

A total of 24 SD rats were allotted to four treatment groups such as the control (CON), 1% of cholesterol diet (CHO), 0.5% of coenzyme Q10 (COQ) and 1% of cholesterol plus 0.5% of coenzyme Q10 (CHCQ) groups to determine the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on the antioxidant defense system in rats. The body weight, weight gain, liver weight and abdominal fat pads were unaffected by 0.5% of CoQ10 supplement in the rats. The level of triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels in the blood was significantly increased (p < 0.05) by the 1% of cholesterol supplement (CHO), whereas 0.5% of CoQ10 supplement (COQ) did not alter these blood lipid indices. In the mRNA expression, there was a significant effect (P < 0.05) of the CoQ10 supplement on the mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), although the mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) was unaffected by cholesterol or the CoQ10 supplement. Similar to mRNA expression of SOD, its activity was also significantly increased (P < 0.05) by CoQ10, but not by the cholesterol supplement effect. The activities hepatic GPX and GST were unaffected by CoQ10 and cholesterol supplements in rats. Lipid peroxidation in the CHO group resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase compared with that in the other groups, indicating that the CoQ10 supplement to 1% of cholesterol-fed rats alleviated the production of lipid peroxidation in the liver. In conclusion, 0.5% of the CoQ10 supplement resulted in positive effects on the hepatic antioxidant defense system without affecting blood lipid indices in 1% of cholesterol fed rats.

Highlights

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a fat soluble component primarily synthesized by the mitochondria of the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and muscles, where it is consumed for a large quantity of ATP production [1, 2]
Growth performance and organ weights The effects of dietary CoQ10 and cholesterol on growth performance and the relative organ weights of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats are presented in Tables 2 and 3, respectively
The body weight, gain and feed conversion ratio of rats were unaffected by dietary supplementation with 1.0% of cholesterol or 0.5% of CoQ10, the cholesterol plus 0.5% of coenzyme Q10 (CHCQ) group had a tendency for increased body weight and gain after 4-wks of the experimental period (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a fat soluble component primarily synthesized by the mitochondria of the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and muscles, where it is consumed for a large quantity of ATP production [1, 2]. Atorvastatin, a member of the drug class known as statins used for lowering cholesterol, inhibit the synthesis of CoQ10 in the body, because CoQ10 and cholesterol are both synthesized from the same precursor known as mevalonate. This harmful effect might be overcome by CoQ10 supplement to protect cell integrity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation induced by statin agents [14]. Despite rather well-recognized antioxidant effects of CoQ10 in vitro, the effectiveness of CoQ10 as an antioxidant against oxidative stress varies greatly depending on the study. It is still controversial whether the supplementation of CoQ10 can affect the antioxidant system in vivo, numerous research studies have been conducted

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