In Vitro Effects of the Reduced Form of Coenzyme Q10 on Secretion Levels of TNF-α and Chemokines in Response to LPS in the Human Monocytic Cell Line THP-1

Ubiquinol-10 (QH(2)), the reduced form of Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) serves as a potent antioxidant of lipid membranes. Because many antioxidants reveal potent anti-inflammatory effects, the influence of QH(2) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were determined in the human monocytic cell line THP-1. Stimulation of cells with LPS resulted in a distinct release of Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha), Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and Monocyte chemotattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). The LPS-induced responses were significantly decreased by pre-incubation of cells with QH(2) to 60.27 +/- 9.3% (p = 0.0009), 48.13 +/- 6.93% (p = 0.0007) and 74.36 +/- 7.25% (p = 0.008) for TNF-alpha, MIP-1 alpha and RANTES, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate anti-inflammatory effects of the reduced form of CoQ(10) on various proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in vitro.