Although non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterised by the accumulation of triacylglycerol in the liver, is the most common liver disorder, the causes of its development and progression to the more serious non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remain incompletely understood. Oxidative stress has been implicated as a key factor in both these processes, and mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation are also believed to play a part. Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a powerful antioxidant found in all cell membranes which has an essential role in mitochondrial respiration and also has anti-inflammatory properties. NAFLD has been shown to be associated with disturbances in plasma and liver CoQ concentrations, but the relationship between these changes and disease development and progression is not yet clear. Dietary supplementation with CoQ has been found to be hepatoprotective and to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation as well as improving mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that it may be beneficial in NAFLD. However, studies using animal models or patients with NAFLD have given inconclusive results. Overall, evidence is now emerging to indicate that disturbances in CoQ metabolism are involved in NAFLD development and progression to NASH, and this highlights the need for further studies with human subjects to fully clarify its role. Full article

Oxidative stress is believed to be a major contributory factor in the development of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disorder worldwide. In this study, the effects of high fat diet-induced NAFLD on Coenzyme Q (CoQ) metabolism and plasma oxidative stress markers in rats were investigated. Rats were fed a standard low fat diet (control) or a high fat diet (57% metabolizable energy as fat) for 18 weeks. The concentrations of total (reduced + oxidized) CoQ9 were increased by > 2 fold in the plasma of animals fed the high fat diet, while those of total CoQ10 were unchanged. Reduced CoQ levels were raised, but oxidized CoQ levels were not, thus the proportion in the reduced form was increased by about 75%. A higher percentage of plasma CoQ9 as compared to CoQ10 was in the reduced form in both control and high fat fed rats. Plasma protein thiol (SH) levels were decreased in the high fat-fed rats as compared to the control group, but concentrations of lipid hydroperoxides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) conjugated dienes were unchanged. These results indicate that high fat diet-induced NAFLD in rats is associated with altered CoQ metabolism and increased protein, but not lipid, oxidative stress. Full article