Mitochondria and Coenzyme Q10 in the Pathogenesis of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy constitute one of the main causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality across the world and particularly in developing countries such as Ecuador. However, despite its impact on public health, the primary pathophysiological processes involved are yet to be elucidated. It has been proposed, among other theories, that an abnormal placentation may induce an endothelial dysfunction, which is ultimately responsible for the final clinical manifestations. Mitochondria, particularly from trophoblastic cells, are responsible for the production of energy, which is extremely important for normal placentation. The malfunction in this supply of energy may produce higher levels of free radicals. In both production of energy and free radicals, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a crucial role in electron transport. As such, the role of CoQ10 in the genesis and prevention of preeclampsia has become the focus of a number of research groups, including that of the authors. Developing an in-depth understanding of these mechanisms might allow us to design new and feasible strategies with which we can reduce preeclampsia, particularly in the Latin-American countries.

Urban PM2.5 Induces Cellular Toxicity, Hormone Dysregulation, Oxidative Damage, Inflammation, and Mitochondrial Interference in the HRT8 Trophoblast Cell Line

“…Studies on placentas exposed to higher levels of air pollution show placental mitochondrial DNA methylation (70) and decreased placental mitochondrial DNA content (71). Such mitochondrial dysfunction has been proposed to be one of the mechanisms contributing to the dysfunctional placenta in PE (72).…”

Implication of nuclear factor‐erythroid 2‐like 2/heme oxygenase 1 pathway in the protective effects of coenzyme Q10 against preeclampsia‐like in a rat model

“…Coenzyme Q10 is a form of fat-soluble ubiquinone in human and is mainly located in the mitochondria. 10 Given the crucial role of coenzyme Q10 in the MRC and other mitochondrial functions, the abnormal absence of coenzyme Q10 leads to various clinical defects including hypertension, metabolic diseases, and atherosclerosis. 21,22 The therapeutic potential of coenzyme Q10 has been widely studied.…”

“…Previous studies have revealed the correlation between the decreased coenzyme Q10 level in plasma and the incidence of preeclampsia. 10 And coenzyme Q10 has been reported to attenuate the symptoms of preeclampsia in a rat model. 28 However, the detailed mechanism of coenzyme Q10…”

Oxidative Damage and Antioxidant Defense in Ferroptosis

“…The effective function of mitochondria depends on various cofactors, such as L-carnitine, α-lipoic acid, and CoQ10 (Pagano et al, 2014). CoQ10 is particularly interesting because it not only supports the mitochondrial respiratory chain, but also acts as a powerful antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals in various membrane structures (Teran et al, 2018). CoQ10 not only inhibits apoptosis (Chen et al, 2011), but also ferroptosis (Shimada et al, 2016).…”