Abstract
The present study investigates the ameliorative effect of quercetin against cadmium-induced toxicity and oxidative stress in a male Sparaque Dawley rat model. There were four experimental groups with 6 rats in each: Group I control orally received normal saline, Group II orally administrated cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg bw/d), Group III orally administrated cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg bw/d) and treated with low dose of quercetin (50 mg/kg bw/d), Group IV orally administrated cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg bw/d) and treated with high dose of quercetin (70 mg/kg bw/d). Experimental period was four weeks. The protective efficacy of quercetin was evaluated in terms of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in liver and hair, blood profile, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver and serum, and histopathological evaluation of liver and kidney. Results showed that low dose of quercetin was significantly (p=0.05) more effective than the high dose. Low dose was more efficacious in reducing Cd accumulation in the tissues, reversing the effects of Cd toxicity on blood profile, and on the CAT and SOD activity in the liver and decreased the MDA levels in both serum and liver. Thus, the key findings suggest a profound antioxidative potential of the low dose of querectin, which could be a prospective approach in the treatment of Cd intoxication.