The Protective Potentials of Dietary Quercetin on Damaged Visceral Organs of Wistar Rat Fed High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Simvastatin, used as an antihyperlipidemic agent, has been reported to have several side effects on the muscles, renal, and liver toxicity. The hypolipidemic effect of quercetin has also been documented. This study investigated the protective potential of dietary 
quercetin on damaged visceral organs of Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet. Sixty male Wistar rats on average weight of 132.2g were randomly divided into twelve groups of five rats and fed with a normal and high-fat diet for ninety days. A high-fat diet was prepared by enriching the standard diet with 0.2% cholesterol and 0.6% groundnut oil. A standard drug, simvastatin, at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg was used as treatment. Dosages of quercetin at 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg body weight were adopted, comprising treatments, prophylactic 
and concurrent. Lipid profile (serum and tissues) were done using spectrophotometry. Sections of liver, heart and kidney tissues were prepared for Heamatoxylin and Eosin staining after 90 days. The result showed reduced (p<0.05) concentration of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, VLDL-Cholesterol; reduced (P<0.001) tissue (liver, heart) total cholesterol and triglycerides in 100 mg/kg body weight treatment and prophylaxis led to increase in HDL-Cholesterol (P<0.01), phospholipids (P<0.001) and total protein (P<0.001). In kidney tissue quercetin showed significant differences in triglycerides (p=0.000), total cholesterol (p=0.002), and no significant change in total protein (p>0.05) between the study groups. This study histological report showed that quercetin at 100 mg/kg body weight repaired tissue damage compared to simvastatin. Quercetin induced hypolipidemia and restored tissues histoarchitecture at 100 mg/kg body weight thereby protecting liver, heart and kidney tissue damages.