Abstract
Flavonoids are a group of plant metabolites with antioxidant effects. One of the most abundant flavonoids in the human diet is quercetin. It is found widely in fruits, vegetables and has a lot of beneficial effects on human health. Quercetin has a positive pharmacological effect on bone metabolism and it prevents the organism against bone loss. However, its impact on the size of basic structural units of the compact bone is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of present study was to investigate the impact of the quercetin on femoral bone microstructure in 5-month-old male rabbits. Five rabbits of Californian broiler line were randomly divided into two groups. In the experimental group (E group; n=3), animals were intramuscularly injected with quercetin at dose 1000 μg.kg-1 body weight (bw) for 90 days, 3 times per week. Two rabbits without quercetin administration served as a control group (C group). According to our results, intramuscular application of quercetin had an insignificant effect on cortical bone thickness in male rabbits. In these rabbits, changes in qualitative histological characteristics were present in the middle part of the compacta, where primary vascular longitudinal bone tissue was present and expanded there from the periosteum. Also, a lower number of secondary osteons was found in these animals. From the histomorphometrical point of view, significantly decreased sizes of primary osteons' vascular canals and secondary osteons (p <0.05) were found in rabbits administered by quercetin. Our findings indicate that subchronic administration of quercetin at the dose used in our study had considerable impact on both qualitative and quantitative histological characteristics of the compact bone in adult male rabbits.
Highlights
Flavonoids are a group of natural polyphenolic substances which consists of two aromatic rings linked by 3 carbons, usually in an oxygenated heterocycle ring (Liu, 2004)
Our results showed an insignificant effect of quercetin on cortical bone thickness in male rabbits (1035.56 ±159.42 μm and 1025.06 ±209.09 μm in rabbits from E and control group (C group), respectively)
The periosteal bone surface mostly consisted of primary vascular longitudinal bone tissue; irregular Haversian bone tissue was observed only in anterior side
Summary
Flavonoids are a group of natural polyphenolic substances which consists of two aromatic rings linked by 3 carbons, usually in an oxygenated heterocycle ring (Liu, 2004). These aromatic secondary plant metabolites have been recognized as important bioactive compounds due to their physiological and pharmacological role, and their health benefits (Hooper and Cassidy, 2006). According to Danihelová and Šturdík (2011), average daily intake of flavonoids is strongly dependent on individual, country and culture usages It is approximately in the range of 150 to 300 mg/day
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
