Quercetin protects against perfluorooctanoic acid-induced liver injury by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammatory response in mice

• Quercetin decreased MDA, H2O2 and 8-OHdG levels and increased SOD and CAT activities in the liver of PFOA-treated mice.
• Quercetin reduced hepatic CRP, IL-6 and COX-2 production induced by PFOA.
• Quercetin inhibited hepatocellular apoptosis induced by PFOA.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of quercetin (Que) against perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)-induced liver injury in mice and its possible mechanisms of action. Mice were intragastrically administered PFOA (10 mg/kg/day) alone or in combination with Que (75 mg/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days. The hepatic injury was evaluated by measuring morphological changes, liver function, oxidative stress, inflammatory response and hepatocellular apoptosis. Compared with mice treated with PFOA alone, simultaneous supplementation of Que significantly decreased serum levels of liver injury indicators alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and total bile acids. Moreover, Que treatment inhibited the production of oxidative stress biomarkers malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 6, cyclooxygenase-2 and C-reactive protein, and decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the liver of PFOA-treated mice. These results combined with liver histopathology demonstrated that Que exhibited a potential protective effect against PFOA-induced liver damage via mechanisms involving the attenuation of oxidative stress, alleviation of inflammation and inhibition of hepatocellular apoptosis.