The Effects of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on Ionizing Radiation- Induced Pancreatic β-Cell Injury

Objective: This study investigated the antioxidant effect of coenzyme Q10 on ionizing radiation induced oxidative damage in pancreatic & beta;-cells. Methods: Twenty-four male rats were assigned to 4 groups. Group 1 constituted the control group, Group 2 only received a single i.p. dose of coenzyme Q10, Groups 3 and 4 received a total of 4 Gy external x-ray radiation to the abdomen in a single fraction. Group 4 also received a single dose of 200 mg/kg coenzyme Q10 i.p. 30 minutes prior to x-ray irradiation. Results:The x-ray radiation group showed decreased & beta;-cell positivity in the islets of Langerhans compared to the control group on immunohistochemical analysis. In contrast, an increase in & beta;-cells exhibiting insulin positivity was observed in group 4 (ionizing radiation + coenzyme Q10) compared to the irradiation group. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay indicated a rise in the number of apoptotic cells in the x-ray radiation group compared to the control and coenzyme Q10-only groups (Group 2). Meanwhile, we observed a decrease in the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling-positive apoptotic cells in the islets of Langerhans in the ionizing radiation + coenzyme Q10 treatment group (Group 4) relative to the irradiation group. Conclusion: This study shows that coenzyme Q10 reduces apoptosis in the rat pancreas exposed to abdominal ionizing radiation.