Protective effects of co-enzyme q10 on thioacetamide-induced acuteliver damage and its correlation with behavioral, biochemical, and pathological factors

Abstract EN

Acute liver damage may be followed by biochemical, behavioral, and pathological alterations, which can result in serious complications and even death.

Objectives: In this experimental studywedetermined whether coenzymeQ10 (CoQ10), acommonsupplementary medicine known to have protective, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects in cells, has any protective effect against thioacetamide (TAA)- induced liver damage and its related neurobehavioral alterations in rats.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study forty-eight Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups (n = 12): C1 was the control group; C2 received a single-dose of TAA (350mg/kg; intraperitoneally) without any other treatment; E1 received TAA + 5 mg/kg CoQ10 (intraperitoneally); and E2 received TAA + 10 mg/kg CoQ10.

After sacrificing the rats, liver enzymes and plasmaammonia (NH4) were measured and histopathological analyses of the livers were carried out.

Elevated-plus-maze, open-field, and forced-swimming tests were also performed to investigate behavioral correlations.

Results: The serum levels of alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), and NH4 show significant increases (P< 0.05).

The groups treated withCoQ10wereshowntohave significantly lower clinical grade of encephalopathy (P=0.001), higher locomotor activity (P = 0.000), and lower levels of depression (P = 0.000).

Furthermore, it was also shown that CoQ10 treatmentmay lead to significant decreases in scores of centrilobular necrosis, apoptosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, vacuolization, and liver necrosis (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Overall, CoQ10 was determined to have positive effects on liver injury and its related behavioral and biochemical changes.