Oral coenzyme Q10 administration prevents the development of ischemic brain lesions in a rabbit model of symptomatic vasospasm.

Treatment with oral coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, 10 mg/kg per day for 6 days) was compared with no treatment in a previously described rabbit model of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm [Endo et al. (1988) Stroke 19: 1420-1425]. The treatment was initiated within 1-2 h after injection of autologous blood into the subarachnoid space. In CoQ10-untreated rabbits, moderate to severe neurological deficits developed, and multiple focal ischemic lesions were found in the brain regions with compromised blood supply, i.e., in the regions normally supplied by common carotid arteries which are subject to ligation in this model. CoQ10 treatment prevented the development of both the neurological deficits and histologically detectable brain tissue damage. In both CoQ10-treated and -untreated rabbits, infiltration of mononuclear cells was evident in the brain stem, although this region did not show signs of ischemic damage. The findings indicate that the histological and neurological correlates of brain tissue damage in this rabbit model of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm develop via mechanism(s) involving free radical-mediated oxidation of plasma lipoproteins. Similar mechanisms may play a role in the development of brain damage attributed to cerebral atherosclerosis.