Page 232 - EJMO-9-2

Eurasian Journal of Medicine

and Oncology

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and

anti-inflammatory properties of quercetin in
paracetamol overdose-induced liver injury

in rats

1,2
Yasmeen Ali Hussein * , Yahiya Ibrahim Yahiya 2 , and Salim Fayez Kadhim 2
1 Al-Kafeel Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research, University of Alkafeel, Najaf, Iraq
2 Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Al Kafeel, Najaf, Iraq

Abstract

Acute liver injury is a severe clinical condition with potentially fatal consequences
commonly caused by viral infections, medications, toxins, and drug overdoses.
Among these, paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is a leading cause of
hepatic failure due to its narrow therapeutic index, resulting in oxidative stress and
hepatocyte apoptosis. Quercetin, a flavonoid found abundantly in vegetables and
*Corresponding author: herbs, has demonstrated antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory
Yasmeen Ali Hussein
(yasmeen.alamri@alkafeel.edu.iq) properties. This study evaluates the hepatoprotective role of quercetin in
mitigating liver damage induced by paracetamol overdose in an experimental rat
Citation: Hussein YA, Yahiya YI, model. A total of 28 male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7 per
Kadhim SF. Hepatoprotective,
antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory group): (i) normal control (distilled water and saline), (ii) paracetamol-induced liver
properties of quercetin in injury group (2 g/kg paracetamol intraperitoneally), (iii) paracetamol + quercetin
paracetamol overdose-induced liver group (50 mg/kg quercetin orally and 2 g/kg paracetamol intraperitoneally),
injury in rats. Eurasian J Med Oncol.
2025;9(2):224-233. and (iv) quercetin-only group (50 mg/kg quercetin intraperitoneally). Blood and
doi: 10.36922/ejmo.7873 liver samples were analyzed for liver enzymes (glutamate pyruvate transaminase
Received: December 17, 2024 [GPT], glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase [GOT]), inflammatory markers
(nuclear factor kappa B [NF-κB], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α]), apoptotic
1st revised: January 21, 2025
markers (cysteine-aspartic acid protease 3 [Caspase-3], B-cell lymphoma 2
2nd revised: April 7, 2025 [BCL2]), oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde [MDA], glutathione [GSH]),
Accepted: April 8, 2025 and histological changes. Paracetamol administration significantly elevated GPT,
GOT, NF-κB, TNF-α, caspase-3, and MDA levels whereas reducing BCL2 and GSH
Published online: May 6, 2025
levels, indicating hepatic injury and oxidative stress. In contrast, results showed
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). that quercetin treatment significantly mitigated these changes, demonstrating
This is an Open-Access article its potential hepatoprotective effects. Histological analysis further confirmed
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution that quercetin reduced hepatic damage compared to the paracetamol-only
License, permitting distribution, group. These findings suggest that quercetin exerts a protective effect against
and reproduction in any medium, paracetamol-induced liver injury by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and
provided the original work is
properly cited. apoptosis.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Liver injury; Oxidative stress; Paracetamol; Quercetin; Apoptosis;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Inflammatory markers
affiliations.

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2025) 224 doi: 10.36922/ejmo.7873