Journal article

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10) prevents renal mitochondrial dysfunction in an experimental model of type 2 diabetes

KC Sourris, BE Harcourt, PH Tang, AL Morley, K Huynh, SA Penfold, MT Coughlan, ME Cooper, TV Nguyen, RH Ritchie, JM Forbes

Free Radical Biology and Medicine | ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC | Published : 2012

Abstract

Cardiovascular benefits of ubiquinone have been previously demonstrated, and we administered it as a novel therapy in an experimental model of type 2 diabetic nephropathy. db/db and dbH mice were followed for 10 weeks, after randomization to receive either vehicle or ubiquinone (CoQ10; 10 mg/kg/day) orally. db/db mice had elevated urinary albumin excretion rates and albumin:creatinine ratio, not seen in db/db CoQ10-treated mice. Renal cortices from db/db mice had lower total and oxidized CoQ10 content, compared with dbH mice. Mitochondria from db/db mice also contained less oxidized CoQ10(ubiquinone) compared with dbH mice. Diabetes-induced increases in total renal collagen but not glomerulo..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors thank Kylie Gilbert and Jade Moselle for their expert care of the animals throughout the study and Maryann Arnstein and Edward Grixti for their technical expertise, within the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. We also acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Darren Henstridge for his assistance with the citrate synthase protocol. This work was completed with support from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Victorian Government's OIS Program, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC). J.M.F. and R.H.R. are recipients of NHMRC Senior Research Fellowships.