Page 234 - EJMO-9-2

Eurasian Journal of
Medicine and Oncology Quercetin effects in rats with liver injury

Table 1. Materials used in this study protein that inhibits apoptosis by blocking the function of
an activated apoptotic protease. The relative expression of
Chemicals Manufacturer Country of origin these markers indicates the degree of hepatocyte apoptosis,
Quercetin Alps pure life sciences India a relatively common phenomenon in liver injury and
Paracetamol Kabri life sciences India disease development.
Ketamine Pfizer United States Oxidative stress was assessed by determining levels
Xylazine Santa Cruz Biotechnology United States of malondialdehyde (MDA) and GSH. MDA, a product
of lipid peroxidation, serves as a prominent marker
Twenty-eight male Sprague-rats (obtained from the University of oxidative cellular membrane damage, reflecting the
of Kufa/College of Science) weighing 200 – 250 g were degree of injury induced by oxidative stress. GSH is a key
randomly divided into four groups (n = 7): (i) normal control endogenous antioxidant that maintains cellular redox
group: Received distilled water and saline, (ii) paracetamol balance by scavenging ROS and ROS-associated oxidative
group: Received 2 g/kg of paracetamol. (iii) paracetamol damage. A decrease in GSH level and an increase in MDA
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+ quercetin group: Received 50 mg/kg of quercetin and reflect an imbalance in the oxidative defense system that
2 g/kg of paracetamol, and (iv) the quercetin-only group was may lead to liver dysfunction and disease development.
administered with 50 mg/kg of quercetin intraperitoneally. These biochemistry parameters, reflecting liver function,
inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress, were evaluated
After 24 h of treatment, the animals were sacrificed to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms
with 90 mg/kg of ketamine and 10 mg/kg of xylazine underlying liver injury and disease progression.
15 to obtain blood and liver samples for histological
and biochemical analyses. After 24 h of treatment, the 2.4. Histopathological examination
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animals were sacrificed to obtain blood and liver samples
for histological and biochemical analyses. Liver tissues were fixed with 10% formalin to preserve
the cellular architecture and prevent putrefaction. After
2.3. Biochemical analysis fixation, tissues were embedded in paraffin for easy
and precise sectioning. The thin liver tissue sections
Liver function was comprehensively assessed by were prepared and mounted on glass slides, followed by
determining the serum levels of two principal hepatic hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. H&E staining is a
enzymes: Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), common histological technique, staining the nuclei of cells
known as alanine aminotransferase, and glutamate deep blue or purple, enhancing nuclear morphology, and
oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), referred to as aspartate staining the cytoplasm and extracellular matrix, providing
aminotransferase. These enzymes are important as elevated a distinguishable observation of tissue components.
levels in the blood are usually a sign of hepatocellular
damage and liver injury due to different pathological Histological assessment was performed to observe
conditions, particularly on the hepatocytes. changes in the architecture of the liver, with a special
focus on major pathological features. These assessments
To further analyze the inflammatory response, the included evidence of hepatocyte necrosis, which included
expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and loss of cellular integrity and nuclear fragmentation. The
tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were quantified using presence of inflammatory cells, when observed, served
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. NF-κB is one of the as an indicator of an immune response to hepatic injury.
most important transcription factors for the transcription Additional histological evaluations involved vascular
of many pro-inflammatory cytokines, with TNF-α being atony and passive hyperemia, the passive accumulation
one of them. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine of blood within the liver sinusoids, which may indicate
significantly related to liver inflammation mediated by circulatory disturbance or tissue damage. Collectively,
other immune responses. Upregulation of these markers these histological parameters provided a comprehensive
is often associated with processes involving inflammation, understanding of the extent and nature of liver injury,
oxidative stress, and immune activation in liver disease. offering valuable insights into the associated tissue

Cysteine-aspartic acid protease 3 (caspase-3) and B-cell pathology.
lymphoma 2 (BCL2) levels were determined to assess
apoptotic activity. Caspase-3 is an executioner caspase in 2.5. Statistical analysis
the apoptotic pathway. It is hypothesized to play a major Statistical calculations were performed using the Statistical
role in apoptosis by proteolytically cleaving vital cellular Package for Social Sciences 24.0 software for the Windows
proteins, leading to cell death. BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic operating system. Data are expressed as mean ± standard

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2025) 226 doi: 10.36922/ejmo.7873