Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Th1/Th2 Paradigm in Females with Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

PROBLEM: Recurrent pregnancy loss is characterized by predominant Th1-type immunity and increased reactive oxygen species. Low levels of Coenzyme Q10 are found in the plasma of RPL as compared to healthy pregnant females. Our aim was to investigate whether in vitro supplementation of PBMCs from such females with CoQ10 could change the observed Th1 bias. METHOD OF STUDY: PBMCs were isolated from 20 RPL pregnant and non-pregnant females and 16 healthy pregnant females and incubated with CoQ10 in in vitro conditions. Phenotyping of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells was performed by flow cytometry. Cytokine levels were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: PBMCs treated with CoQ10 showed significantly decreased percentage of Th1 cells (P < 0.005) in pregnant females with history of RPL than in the untreated ones. Also, levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were significantly decreased in the culture supernatant of treated PBMCs from RPL. DCFDA staining showed significantly reduced production of ROS in the treated PBMCs in RPL females. CONCLUSION: CoQ10 was effective in maintaining the immune homeostasis by reducing the proportion of IFN-γ-producing T cells and proinflammatory cytokine levels in the RPL pregnant females. This property could be attributed to the capability of CoQ10 in reducing oxidative stress by decreasing ROS production.