Protective Effects of Co-Enzyme Q10 on Thioacetamide-Induced Acute Liver Damage and Its Correlation With Behavioral, Biochemical, and Pathological Factors

Background: 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 study we determined whether coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a common supplementary 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 plasma-ammonia (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 with CoQ10 were shown to have 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 treatment may 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.