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Coenzyme Q10 Alleviated Behavioral Dysfunction and Bioenergetic Function in an Animal Model of Depression

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Abstract

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural compound, is involved in the mitochondrial electron transfer chain (ETC) and plays an important pattern in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Amelioration of ATP is related to abnormalities in cognitive function and psychiatric diseases. Previous studies have shown that depression is accompanied by the induction of inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways and amelioration of antioxidant status. In a recent study, we investigated the beneficial effects of CoQ10 on behavioral dysfunction and CoQ10 level in the rat brain. Therefore, intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ, 0.2 mg/mouse) was used in adult male mice to induce depression. The behavioral data revealed a significant difference between the depression and control groups regarding the forced swim test (FST) and splash test results at 24 h following STZ treatment. Also, the validated and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique showed decreased CoQ10 level in the brain samples of the STZ group, compared to the controls. Our findings revealed that behavioral abnormalities due to STZ target mitochondria and affect energy metabolism and hemostasis, resulting in the initiation of oxidative damage in the brain. Besides, 4-week administration of CoQ10 could reverse the depressive like behavior and bioenergetic effects of STZ in the treated groups.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant from the deputy of research of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (Grant No.: A-12-769-26).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zanjan Applied Pharmacology Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical sciences, Zanjan, Iran

    Sina Andalib, Mobin Mashhadi-Mousapour, Soroush Bijani & Mir-Jamal Hosseini

  2. Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, P. O. Box: 45139-56184, Iran

    Sina Andalib, Mobin Mashhadi-Mousapour, Soroush Bijani & Mir-Jamal Hosseini

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  1. Sina Andalib
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Andalib, S., Mashhadi-Mousapour, M., Bijani, S. et al. Coenzyme Q10 Alleviated Behavioral Dysfunction and Bioenergetic Function in an Animal Model of Depression. Neurochem Res 44, 1182–1191 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-019-02761-0

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