Potential effect of coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) on serum NGAL biomarker and kidney function following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting surgery

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, and is associated with major adverse outcomes. Effect of preoperative administration of coenzyme Q10 was evaluated in order to realize that whether it could prevent the occurrence of AKI following elective CABG surgery. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients who were candidate for elective CABG surgery between September 2017 and August 2018 were randomly assigned to intervention group (receiving coenzyme Q10, 300 mg BID for 2 days before surgery) and control group. Serum NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) was measured at baseline, 6 and 24 hours after surgery. Serum creatinine (sCr) and urine output (UO) were also measured at baseline and after surgery. Results: Fifty patients completed the study. The total incidence of acute kidney injury was 32%. There were no significant differences in the incidence of AKI (p=0.07) between the two groups. Serum NGAL was shown no significant difference at 6 (p=0.13) and 24 (p=0.22) hours after surgery compared to the baseline level between the two groups, whereas, the significant difference in the hospitalization duration was shown between them (p=0.02). Conclusion: CoQ10 supplementation did not significantly decrease the incidence of AKI in patients undergoing elective CABG.