Beneficial effect of ubiquinol, the reduced form of coenzyme Q10, on cyclosporine nephrotoxicity

background: cyclosporine (cya) nephrotoxicity is partly due to some oxidative stress. ubiquinol, the reduced form of coenzyme q10 (rcoq10), has recently gained attention for its anti-oxidative potential. the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of rcoq10 on a cya nephrotoxic rat model. materials and methods: six-week-old male wistar rats were divided into three groups (five animals each). group 1 received a medium only. group 2 received 30 mg/kg/day of cya only. group 3 received both the same dose of cya and 600 mg/kg/day of rcoq10. cya and rcoq10 were both given orally for four weeks. systolic blood pressure (bp), daily urinary albumin secretion (u-alb), serum creatinine (s-cr) level, and super-oxide anion (so) level in the renal tissue were measured and compared among those three groups. immunohistochemistry using an antibody for the transforming growth factor-beta (tgf-beta) was also examined. results: bps, u-albs, s-crs, and so levels of groups 1, 2, and 3 were 114 ± 3, 132 ± 4, and 129 ± 5 mmhg, 2.6 ± 0.5, 42.1 ± 7.2, and 22.8 ± 3.4 micro-g/day, 1.1 ± 0.2, 1.7 ± 0.2, and 1.3 ± 0.2 mg/dl, and 224 ± 84, 1251 ± 138, and 512 ± 109 rlu/g kidney respectively. u-albs, s-crs, and so levels were significantly ameliorated by rcoq10. micro-vacuolar changes and tgf-beta positive deposits in the proximal renal tubular cells of cya group rats disappeared in those of cya and rcoq10 group rats. conclusion: rcoq10, an antioxidants, may have potential for preventing cya nephrotoxicity.