Abstract
Obesity as a consequence of high fat diet (HFD) has become an uprising major global health problem with multiorgan affection. Quercetin proved a unique ameliorative potential against hazards of HFD.
Forty rats were divided into four groups. Group I: Control group (10% of energy from fat). Group II: (10% of energy from fat +50 mg/kg quercetin). Group III: (60% of energy from fat). Group IV: (60% of energy from fat +50 mg/kg quercetin). After12 weeks, all rats were sacrificed, kidney and pancreas were taken and processed for H&E, Mallory’s trichrome stains and immunohistochemical examination.
Both pancreatic and renal tissues showed histopathological degenerative and inflammatory changes in group III that was markedly improved in group IV treated with quercetin. Concerning the mean area percent of collagen fibers and Bcl-2 expression in both renal and pancreatic tissues that showed a highly significant difference in group III (p < 0.001) as compared to all other groups and a highly significant difference (p < 0.001) in group IV compared to group III.
These results confirmed the negative influence of HFD intake on both renal and pancreatic tissues and the protective effect of concomitant use of quercetin. Quercetin's therapeutic potential for metabolic disorders may become more evident and widely accepted.