title: Quercetin as a prophylactic measure against high altitude cerebral edema.
abstract: The present study was undertaken to elucidate the intervention of quercetin against high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) using male Sprague Dawley rats as an animal model. This study was also programmed to compare and correlate the effect of both quercetin (flavonoid) and dexamethasone (steroid) against HACE. Six groups of animals were designed for this experiment, (I) normoxia, (II) hypoxia (25,000 ft, 24 h), (III) normoxia+quercetin (50 mg/kg body wt), (IV) normoxia+dexamethasone (4 mg/kg body wt), (V) hypoxia+quercetin (50 mg/kg body wt), (VI) hypoxia+dexamethasone (4 mg/kg body wt). Quercetin at 50 mg/kg body wt, orally 1h prior to hypoxia exposure, was considered as the optimum dose, due to a significant reduction in the level of brain water content and cerebral transvascular leakage (P < 0.001), as compared to control (24 h hypoxia). Dexamethasone was administered at 4 mg/kg body wt, orally, 1h prior to hypoxia exposure. Both drugs (quercetin and dexamethasone) could efficiently reduce the hypoxia-induced hematological changes. Quercetin was observed to be a more potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory agent. It blocks nuclear factor kappa-beta (NFκB) more significantly (P < 0.05) than the dexamethasone-administered hypoxia-exposed rats. Histopathological findings demonstrate the absence of an edema and inflammation in the brain sections of quercetin-administered hypoxia-exposed rats. The present study reveals quercetin to be a potent drug against HACE, as it efficiently attenuates inflammation as well as cerebral edema formation without any side effects of steroid therapy (dexamethasone).
authors: Experimental Animal Facility, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Defence Research and Development Organization, Timarpur, Delhi 110054, India. dr_patir@rediffmail.com
authors: Himadri
authors: H
authors: Patir
authors: S K S
authors: SK
authors: Sarada
authors: Saumya
authors: S
authors: Singh
authors: Titto
authors: T
authors: Mathew
authors: Bhagwat
authors: B
authors: Singh
authors: Anju
authors: A
authors: Bansal
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000517:prevention & control; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009051:Mountaineering; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011485:Protein Binding; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D016328:NF-kappa B; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D003907:Dexamethasone; D011794:Quercetin