Therapeutic Role of Coenzyme Q10 or/and α-lipoic acid on Cardiac Functions in Obese/Hypertensive Rats

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 , Zoology Department, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University.

2 Zoology Department, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University.

3 Biological Applications Department, Radioisotopes Applications Division, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt.

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between obesity and hypertension and the possible amelioration effects of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or/and α-lipoic acid (ALA) and their mixture on histological and physiological changes in rat heart.
To achieve this purpose, a comparison took place between normal control rats group (20 rats) and obese/hypertensive rats group (24 rats). The obese/hypertensive rats were injected (i.v) with Poloxamer-407(P-407) as a single dose (1g/kg b.wt dissolved in 1ml cold saline) to induce obesity and with the aid of oro-gastric tube 1g sodium chloride salt/kg b.wt/day for 30 days for induction of hypertension. Control rats group (20 rats) were divided into 5 animals (normal control rats subgroup), 5 animals treated with 200mg CoQ10/kg b.wt /day (Normal + CoQ10 rats), 5 rats treated  with 100mg ALA/kg b.wt /day (Normal + ALA rats) and the last 5 animals treated with both antioxidants as the above subgroups (Normal + CoQ10 + ALA) by oro-gastric tube. The 24 obese/hypertensive rats were divided to four subgroups, the first subgroup (6 obese/hypertensive rats), the second subgroup (6 rats) was treated with 200mg CoQ10/kg/b.wt/day (obese/hypertensive rats + CoQ10 rats), the third (6 rats) was treated with 100mg ALA/kg b.wt/day (obese/hypertensive rats + ALA rats) and the last 6 animals were treated with both antioxidants as above described (obese/hypertensive rats + CoQ10 + ALA). All rats were dissected after 4 week experimental duration.
Histological alterations in cardiac tissue of obese/hypertensive rats included lack of striation of myocytes with pyknotic nuclei; interstitial edema; congested blood vessels and mononuclear cellular infiltration in expanded intracellular spaces.  After the induction of obesity and hypertension in rats and in comparison to normal control animals, the results showed significant (P˂0.05) increase in serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. Also, remarkable increments in the serum heart enzymes activities of creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase -MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST).
 The increment of serum levels of heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) and endotheline-1 (ET-1) occurred. On the other hand, a significant (P˂0.05) decrease in the level of serum total nitric oxide was recorded in obese/hypertensive rats compared with those corresponding normal control ones.
When obese/hypertensive rats subgroups were treated with CoQ10 or/and ALA, considerable ameliorative effects in all previous studied parameters were pronounced dependent on certain mechanisms discussed according to available recent researches. Moreover, histological studies of the heart also revealed a definite ameliorative effect of these antioxidants as regards tissue damage and structural integrity.
 

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