Increased mitochondrial oxidative damage and oxidative DNA damage contributes to the neurodegenerative process in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

To investigate the possibility that mitochondrial oxidative damage or oxidative DNA damage or both contribute to the neurodegenerative process of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS), this study used high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector to measure the concentrations of the reduced and oxidized forms of coenzyme Q10 (CoQlO) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 17 patients with sALS and 17 age-matched controls with no neurological diseases. The percentage of oxidized CoQ10 in the CSF of sALS patients was greater than that in the CSF of controls (p < 0.002) and was negatively correlated with the duration of illness (rho = - 0.61, p < 0.01). The concentration of 8-OHdG in the CSF of sALS patients was greater than that in the CSF of controls (p < 0.005) and was positively correlated with the duration of illness (rho = 0.53, p < 0.005). The percentage of oxidized CoQ10 was correlated with the concentrations of 8-OHdG in the CSF of sALS patients (rho = - 0.53, p < 0.05). These results suggest that both mitochondrial oxidative damage and oxidative DNA damage play important roles in the pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.