title: Antioxidant vitamins C, E and coenzyme Q10 vs dexamethasone: comparisons of their effects in pulmonary contusion model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of our study is to evaluate the effects of antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C and E), Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and dexamethasone (Dxm) in experimental rat models with pulmonary contusion (PC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were randomly divided into six groups. Except for the control, all subgroups had a moderate pulmonary contusion. Animals in the group I and group II received intraperitoneal saline, group III received 10mg.kg-1 CoQ10 group IV received 100mg.kg-1 vitamin C, group V received 150 mg.kg-1 vitamin E, and group VI received 10mg.kg-1 Dxm. Blood gas analysis, serum nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity assays, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and histopathological examination were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Administration of CoQ10 resulted in a significant increase in PaO2 values compared with the group I (p = 0.004). Levels of plasma MDA in group II were significantly higher than those in the group I (p = 0.01). Early administration of vitamin C, CoQ10, and Dxm significantly decreased the levels of MDA (p = 0.01). Lung contusion due to blunt trauma significantly decreased SOD activities in rat lung tissue compared with group I (p = 0.01). SOD levels were significantly elevated in animals treated with CoQ10, Vitamin E, or Dxm compared with group II (p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, CoQ10, vitamin C, vitamin E and Dxm had a protective effect on the biochemical and histopathological outcome of PC after experimental blunt thorax trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Karaelmas University Medical Faculty, Zonguldak, Turkey. dr.mertol@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mertol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gokce
authors.forename: Ozkan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saydam
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hanci
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bahadir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D014815:Vitamins; D014451:Ubiquinone; D014810:Vitamin E; D003907:Dexamethasone; C024989:coenzyme Q10; D001205:Ascorbic Acid