Quercetin attenuates ethanol-derived microsomal oxidative stress: Implication of haem oxygenase-1 induction

► Chronic ethanol feeding induced microsomal CYP2E1 but lowered HO-1 of rat liver. ► Excessive ethanol caused microsomal oxidative stress and liver dysfunction. ► Ethanol-derived detrimental effects were alleviated by quercetin pretreatment. ► Quercetin induced HO-1, which was not completely abolished by ethanol. ► HO-1 induction by quercetin may antagonize CYP2E1-mediated microsomal stress.