The changes of antioxidant defense system caused by quercetin administration do not lead to DNA damage and apoptosis in the spleen and bone marrow cells of rats

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 46; no. 9; pp. 3053 - 3058
• Main Authors: Papiez, M.A., Cierniak, A., Krzysciak, W., Bzowska, M., Taha, H.M., Jozkowicz, A., Piskula, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2008; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: animal models; Animals; Annexin A5; antioxidant activity; Antioxidant status; antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; bone marrow cells; Bone Marrow Cells - drug effects; Bone Marrow Cells - metabolism; Coloring Agents; Comet Assay; DNA Damage; DNA repair; flavonoids; Flavonols - analysis; Flavonols - toxicity; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate - analogs & derivatives; General aspects. Methods; genotoxicity; Heme Oxygenase-1 - metabolism; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Malondialdehyde - analysis; Medical sciences; nutrition-genotype interaction; polyphenols; Propidium; Quercetin; Quercetin - analysis; Quercetin - toxicity; Rats; Rats, Inbred BN; redox reactions; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; spleen; Spleen - cytology; Spleen - drug effects; Spleen - metabolism; splenocytes; Toxicology; PS; DNA damage; HO-1; TBARS; MDA; Comet assay; Q; Antioxidant status; FITC; TBA; TDC; TCA; FBS; Quercetin; PI; FRAP; GSH; Apoptosis; Spleen; Rat; Rodentia; Organism defense; Antioxidant; Flavonoid; Polyphenol; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Cell death; Animal; Phenols; Bone marrow; Lesion
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2008.06.006

Quercetin may have the opposite effect, namely anti- as well as pro-oxidant. The aim of this study was to assess the results of quercetin anti- and/or pro-oxidant activity in the bone marrow and spleen cells of rats. The experimental rats were treated daily, with quercetin in a dose of 8 or 80 mg/kg b.w. by gavage for 40 days. The intracellular redox state in cells were assessed by measuring the ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) level and malonodialdehyde concentration. HO-1 mRNA expression was examined with real-time PCR. The extent of DNA damage was determined by the alkaline-labile comet assay. A potential pro-apoptotic quercetin action was determined using the FITC-Annexin V kit. The quercetin and isorhamnetin concentrations in serum were analyzed by HPLC-ECD. MDA concentration and FRAP values, were significantly decreased in the spleen and bone marrow cells of rats treated with quercetin, in a dose of 80 mg/kg b.w. in comparison with the control rats; no significant changes were observed after quercetin was administered in a dose ten times as low. Treatment with quercetin dose-dependently upregulated the expression of HO-1 mRNA in the bone marrow cells. Quercetin administration to the rats did not induce either DNA damage or apoptosis in the examined cells. The results of our study prove that changes in the antioxidant state, caused by quercetin, do not lead to DNA damage or exert any pro-apoptotic activity in vivo.