Influence of Coenzyme Q₁₀ on release of pro‐inflammatory chemokines in the human monocytic cell line THP‐1

Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) is an obligatory element in the mitochondrial electron transport system and functions as a potent antioxidant of lipid membranes. In-vivo and in-vitro studies indicate an involvement of CoQ₁₀ in inflammatory pathways. Here we studied in the human monocytic cell-line THP-1 the influence of CoQ₁₀ on LPS-induced secretion of the pro-inflammatory chemokines Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1alpha), Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). In comparison to unstimulated cells, LPS leads to 22-, 3- and 4.5-fold higher levels of MIP-1alpha, RANTES and MCP-1 in the cell culture medium, respectively. Pre-incubation of cells with 10 microM CoQ₁₀ resulted in a significant decrease of LPS-induced MIP-1alpha and RANTES secretion to 55.04% (p = 0.02) and 76.84% (p = 0.04), respectively. In conclusion, CoQ₁₀ reduces the LPS-induced secretion levels of the pro-inflammatory chemokines MIP-1alpha and RANTES in the human monocytic cell line THP-1. These data suggest that CoQ₁₀ possesses anti-inflammatory properties.