Coenzyme Q10 vitreous levels after administration of coenzyme Q10 eyedrops in patients undergoing vitrectomy

Coenzyme Q10 Instilled as Eye Drops on the Cornea Reaches the Retina and Protects Retinal Layers from Apoptosis in a Mouse Model of Kainate-Induced Retinal Damage

“…The ability of CoQ10 to reach the retina following corneal application is supported by an observation of Fato et al 17 that corneal instillation of a collirium based on CoQ10 in patients undergoing vitrectomy resulted in a marked increase of CoQ10 in the vitreous. Our results are in keeping with a report of Qu et al, 32 demonstrating that the choroid/retina levels of endogenous CoQ10 decrease with aging concomitantly with progression of apoptosis-related macular degeneration.…”

“…The recent observation that corneal administration of CoQ10 in patients undergoing vitrectomy markedly increased CoQ10 concentration in the vitreous, 17 prompted us to explore whether CoQ10 instilled as eye drops on the cornea could reach the retina and exert its antiapoptotic activity also in the retinal tissue. To this aim, in cultured RGCs we first observed the antiapoptotic effect of CoQ10.…”

Topical Coenzyme Q10 demonstrates mitochondrial-mediated neuroprotection in a rodent model of ocular hypertension

“…Concentrations of CoQ10 in the human retina are reported to decline by up to 40% with age ( Qu et al, 2009 ). The poor aqueous solubility ( Fato et al, 2010 ) and low bioavailability of CoQ10, due in part to its interactions with the multi-drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp), have limited the development of topically active formulations of this drug ( Hirano and Iseki, 2008 ). The interaction of CoQ10 with P-gp, expressed in both corneal epithelial cells ( Vellonen et al, 2010 ) and RGCs ( Duncan et al, n.d. ) suggests that co-administration of CoQ10 with a P-gp inhibitor would likely enhance the topical delivery and pharmacological effects of this drug ( Hirano and Iseki, 2008 ).…”

Effects of Coenzyme Q10 in Conjunction With Vitamin E on Retinal-evoked and Cortical-evoked Responses in Patients With Open-angle Glaucoma

“…54 In conclusion, coenzyme Q10 in association with vitamin E treatment induces a beneficial effect on glaucomatous retinal function (PERG improvement). This is actually unidentified, but it can be useful to know that in patients undergoing vitrectomy in whom Coqun eye drops were administered 1 hour before surgery, the presence of coenzyme Q10 was detectable in the vitreous (mean of tested eyes: 0.528 ± 0.769 mg/mL).…”