Inhibitory effect of liposomal quercetin on acute hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by concanavalin A

Abstract

Immune response plays an important role in the development of hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by immunological mechanism. In the acute hepatitis model, quercetin (2.5 mg/kg) was injected iv into mice 30 min after concanavalin A (Con A) challenge. Mice were sacrificed 4 or 24 h after Con A injection, and aminotransferase tests and histopathological sections were performed. Treatment with quercetin significantly decreased the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Consistent with this observation, treatment with quercetin markedly attenuated the pathologic changes in the liver. A hepatic fibrosis model was also generated in mice by Con A challenge once a week for 6 consecutive weeks. Mice in the experimental group were treated with daily iv injections of quercetin (0.5 mg/kg). Histopathological analyses revealed that treatment with quercetin markedly decreased collagen deposition, pseudolobuli development, and hepatic stellate cells activation. We also examined the effects of quercetin on the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathways by immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NF-κB and TGF-β production was decreased after treatment with quercetin, indicating that the antifibrotic effect of quercetin is associated with its ability to modulate NF-κB and TGF-β production. These results suggest that quercetin may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of patients with liver damage and fibrosis.

Quercetin reverses experimental cirrhosis by immunomodulation of the proinflammatory and profibrotic processes

“…It is well known that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of liver diseases ; therefore, the antioxidant properties of quercetin may be responsible for the beneficial effects observed in this report and others . Interestingly, here we observed that quercetin is 20 times less effective than trolox to scavenge DPPH, but trolox is as effective as quercetin to prevent fibrosis at the same dose .…”

Quercetin Pretreatment Attenuates Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion-Induced Apoptosis and Autophagy by Inhibiting ERK/NF-κB Pathway

“…As proinflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and autophagy play critical roles in hepatic IR injury, these factors should be carefully considered when choosing a drug to treat IR. Quercetin (3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroflavone, QE), a member of the flavonoid family, can be found in many types of fruits and vegetables [ 24 ] and has many beneficial characteristics, including anti-inflammation, antitumor, and antioxidation activity [ 25 – 27 ]. These properties have been confirmed by many animal models, including ConA-induced hepatitis [ 28 ], cholestatic liver injury [ 29 ], radiation-induced lung injury [ 30 ], carbon tetrachloride- (CCl 4 -) induced liver injury [ 31 ], acute pancreatitis [ 32 ], and acute myocardial infarction [ 33 ].…”

Quercetin Reduces Ehrlich Tumor-Induced Cancer Pain in Mice

“…In models of diabetic neuropathic pain, quercetin induces an analgesic effect amenable by opioid receptor antagonist [ 22 ]. In fact, inhibition of oxidative stress, cytokine production, and opioid receptor-dependent effects seem to be major mechanisms of quercetin since they were also observed in models such as colitis [ 25 ], neuropathy [ 26 ], hepatic fibrosis [ 27 ], periodontitis-induced bone resorption [ 28 ], and allergic inflammation [ 29 ].…”