Quercetin in combination with vitamins (C and E) improve oxidative stress and hepatic injury in cadmium intoxicated rats

The aim of the present study is to determine if a combination therapy of quercetin along with vitamins (C and E) has any advantage over cadmium-induced oxidative hepatic injury in rats by analyzing serum hepatic marker enzymes (aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT)), serum bilirubin, hepatic oxidative stress indices (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS], lipid hydroperoxides [LOOH] and protein carbonyls [PC]), hepatic nonenzymatic (reduced glutathione [GSH], total sulphydryl groups [TSH], vitamin C and vitamin E), enzymatic (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione S-transferase [GST]), glutathione metabolizing enzymes (glutathione reductase [GR] and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD]) and histological changes in liver. Cd intoxication significantly (P > 0.05) increased the levels of serum hepatic marker enzymes and bilirubin, hepatic oxidative stress markers and significantly (P > 0.05) decreased hepatic nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants status and severely increased the histopathological changes when compared to normal control rats. Cd intoxicated rats pretreated with quercetin (QE) alone and QE along with vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE) significantly ameliorated Cd induced anomalies in biochemical and histological indices. This ameliorative effect against Cd intoxication was much pronounced in rats treated with QE along with VC and VE.