The Potential Therapeutic Effects of Coenzyme Q10 on the Sciatic Nerve Regeneration Following Short-And Long-Term Injury

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effects of administering coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) after both short-term and long-term sciatic nerve damage. Methods: Six groups of adult male Wistar albino rats were used. Sciatic nerve injury was performed on the rats in the short-term injury (STI) and long-term injury (LTI) groups for 15 and 60 s. For 21 days, the rats in the CoQ10, STI + CoQ10, and LTI + CoQ10 groups were also administered CoQ10 orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight; the control (Cont) group received no treatment. The nerve samples were evaluated by electrophysiology, the sciatic functional index (SFI), stereological investigations, and light and electron microscopic methods. Results: The number of myelinated axons was higher in the LTI group according to the Cont and the sham groups. The numbers of axons in the LTI and LTI + CoQ10 groups were higher than that in the STI and STI + CoQ10 groups. Latency and amplitude levels were significantly changed following STI and LTI treatment and CoQ10 treatment significantly improved the results following the injuries. SFI results showed highly significant differences between the Cont and STI, Cont and LTI, Cont and STI + CoQ10, STI + CoQ10 and LTI + CoQ10, and Cont and LTI + CoQ10 groups. Microscopic examinations indicated that LTI produced a significant change in the nerve structure than STI. CoQ10 ameliorated the degree of injury. Conclusions: Treatment with CoQ10 following sciatic nerve damage was more successful in the LTI than the STI group, and it may, therefore, effectively improve peripheral nerve regeneration, especially following LTI. © The Author(s) 2025.