Neuroprotective Effect of Coenzyme Q10 in Chronic Constriction Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rat

Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress contributes to neuropathic pain. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, there is no report regarding the therapeutic effect of CoQ10 on neuropathic pain. Objectives: The present study investigated the effects of CoQ10 on pain alleviation in animals with chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Materials and Methods: Wistar male rats were randomly allocated to four groups. Nerve injury was induced by four loose ligatures around the sciatic nerve. CoQ10 (200 mg/kg) or vehicle were daily injected intraperitoneally for 10 days. Behavioral tests were performed before nerve injury and on fifth and tenth days after injury. Radiant heat, Randall Selitto test, and Von Frey filaments were used to assess the pain threshold. At the end of the experiment, the animals were perfused transcardially. Lumbar spinal cord was removed and prepared for Nissl staining. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Mann-Whitney were used for statistical analysis. P-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Reduction in pain threshold and the number of neurons in dorsal horn of the spinal cord after nerve injury (P ≤ 0.001) were resulted. Injection of CoQ10 and vehicles increased the pain threshold (P ≤ 0.001 and P ≤ 0.01) and prevented cell loss in neuropathic rats compared with injured animals with no treatment (P < 0.05). Significant differences observed between animals that had received coQ10 compared with vehicle treated ones (P < 0.05). Conclusions: CoQ10 abolished neuropathic pain in CCI rats. Prevention of cell loss might be attributed to the analgesic effect of CoQ10. Hence, it might be used as a therapeutic intervention for neuropathic pain.

Study of nerve cell regeneration on nanofibers containing cerium oxide nanoparticles in a spinal cord injury model in rats

“…Nissl staining was used to distinguish healthy neurons from dead neurons [62]. Mason Trichrome Staining (MTS) was used for selective differentiation visualization of collagen fibers, according to the usual protocol [63].…”

Clinical, electrophysiological, and histomorphological effects of local coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E use in a rat model of peripheral nerve injury

“…11 However, in our study, the histomorphological evaluation of the eighth-week groups was superior to the fourth-week groups. Janzade et al 12 evaluated the thermal plantar test and histomorphological assessment in their experimental study with rats, and they showed that the treatment group, which received coenzyme Q10, had superior results according to these evaluations. In our study, we found that the myelin structures, the number of myelinated axon fibers, and the morphological evaluation of organelles were significantly better in the treatment groups than in the control groups ( P < .01).…”

“…The neuroprotective effect of coenzyme 10 has already been demonstrated in previous studies using either intraperitoneal or parenteral routes. 11 , 12 To our knowledge, there are no reported studies in the English literatur on the effects of local use of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E combination derivatives in peripheral nerve injury. In our study, the clinical, electrophysiological, and histomorphological effects of local coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E use in peripheral nerve injury were examined.…”

The potential positive effects of coenzyme Q10 on the regeneration of peripheral nerve injury

“…Currently, the positive effect of antioxidants on the enhancement of nerve regeneration is the focus of attention [66]. As stated previously, CoQ10 is a well-known antioxidant with bioenergetic, antiinflammatory, and neuroprotective properties [67]. In the acute inflammatory phase of sciatic nerve injury, intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg per day was observed to enhance nerve regeneration [68].…”