[Efficiency of coenzyme Q(10) at experimental spinal cord injury]

In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of methylprednisolone, coenzyme Q(10) and combined methylprednisolone and coenzyme Q(10) treatments on experimental spinal cord injury.

Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were divided into four groups. Spinal cord injury (SCI) was performed by placement of an aneurysm clip, extradurally at the level of T4-5. After the trauma, group K (control group) received soybean oil, group M (methylprednisolone group) received 30 mg.kg-1 methylprednisolone and 5.4 mg.kg.hour-1 maintenance dose of methylprednisolone, group Q (coenzyme Q(10) group) received 10 mg.kg-1 coenzyme Q(10), group MQ (methylprednisolone and coenzyme Q(10) group) received 30 mg.kg-1 methylprednisolone and 5.4 mg.kg.hour-1 maintenance dose of methylprednisolone and 10 mg.kg-1 coenzyme Q(10) intraperitoneally. Twenty-four hours after the trauma spinal cord samples of the rats were obtained and tissue samples had been harvested for both biochemical and histopathological evaluation.

In histopathological examination, the edema pattern was significantly more severe in group K than the group M, group Q and group MQ (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between group M, group Q and group MQ regarding edema and bleeding (p>0.05). Mean superoxide dismutase (SOD) scores were significantly low while comparing the group K with all remaining groups and the group MQ comparing with the group M (p<0.05). Mean malondialdehyde (MDA) scores were low in the group M, Q and MQ in comparison with the group K, but there was no statistically significant difference between all groups (p>0.05).

Methylprednisolone, coenzyme Q(10) and combined methylprednisolone and coenzyme Q(10) treatments were found to be effective as they decrease the edema and coenzyme Q(10) could be effective for prevention of secondary injury at experimental SCI.