COMBINATION OF CITICOLINE AND COENZYME Q10 AS ADJUVANT NEUROPROTECTIVE THERAPY FOR GLAUCOMA. AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major glaucoma risk factor, but inflammation and oxidative stress also contribute to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of the oral combination of citicoline and coenzyme Q10 (CitiQ10) in CD-1 mice with laser-induced ocular hypertension (OHT). Animals were assigned to vehicle control, CitiQ10 control, laser+vehicle, or laser+CitiQ10. Unilateral OHT induction was performed in the left eye by photocoagulating the limbal and episcleral veins, analysing both OHT and contralateral eyes. Treatment with CitiQ10 or Vehicle gelatins began 15 days prior to induction and continued for 3 or 7 days. IOP was recorded before laser and on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Anti-inflammatory effects (day 3) were assessed using Iba-1, P2RY12, and GFAP; neuroprotection (day 7) by Brn3a+ RGC and melanopsin+ ipRGC wholemount. Electroretinography and optical coherence tomography evaluated retinal function, RNFL thickness, and vitreous particles. Statistics included ANOVA, t-tests, and Pearson correlations. CitiQ10 induced mild IOP reduction on days 1 and 3. Treated eyes showed reduced glial activation at day 3 and prevention of RGC loss at day 7 (p<0.0001), without ipRGC changes. OCT revealed early RNFL thickening in OHT eyes, less pronounced with CitiQ10, and vitreous particles indicated reduced inflammation. ffERG showed early retinal dysfunction with decreased amplitudes, attenuated by treatment. In untreated OHT eyes, peak IOP correlated with RGC loss (r=-0.6170, p=0.0326) and vitreous particles (r=0.6331, p=0.0002). These findings indicate early neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of citicoline+CoQ10, supporting their use as adjuvant therapy in glaucoma.