title: Diabetic neuropathy: an evaluation of the use of quercetin in the cecum of rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of quercetin supplementation on the myenteric neurons and glia in the cecum of diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total preparations of the muscular tunic were prepared from the ceca of twenty-four rats divided into the following groups: control (C), control supplemented with quercetin (200 mg/kg quercetin body weight) (CQ), diabetic (D) and diabetic supplemented with quercetin (DQ). Immunohistochemical double staining technique was performed with HuC/D (general population)/nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), HuC-D/S-100 and VIP. Density analysis of the general neuronal population HuC/D-IR, the nNOS-IR (nitrergic subpopulation) and the enteric glial cells (S-100) was performed, and the morphometry and the reduction in varicosity population (VIP-IR) in these populations were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diabetes promoted a significant reduction (25%) in the neuronal density of the HuC/D-IR (general population) and the nNOS-IR (nitrergic subpopulation) compared with the C group. Diabetes also significantly increased the areas of neurons, glial cells and VIP-IR varicosities. Supplementation with quercetin in the DQ group prevented neuronal loss in the general population and increased its area (P < 0.001) and the area of nitrergic subpopulation (P < 0.001), when compared to C group. Quercetin induced a VIP-IR and glial cells areas (P < 0.001) in DQ group when compared to C, CQ and D groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In diabetes, quercetin exhibited a neuroprotective effect by maintaining the density of the general neuronal population but did not affect the density of the nNOS subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: Paulo Emilio Botura Ferreira, Cláudia Regina Pinheiro Lopes, Angela Maria Pereira Alves, Éder Paulo Belato Alves, Jacqueline Nelisis Zanoni, Nilza Cristina Buttow, Department of Morphological Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR. CEP 87020-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Emilio Botura
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Cláudia Regina Pinheiro
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Angela Maria Pereira
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Éder Paulo Belato
authors.initials: ÉP
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: David Robert
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Linden
authors.forename: Jacqueline Nelisis
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zanoni
authors.forename: Nilza Cristina
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Buttow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000294:innervation*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051959:ELAV Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000067778:ELAV-Like Protein 3; D000067779:ELAV-Like Protein 4; D008297:Male; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D026602:Nitrergic Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067778:ELAV-Like Protein 3; D000067779:ELAV-Like Protein 4; C490262:Elavl3 protein, rat; C000594136:Elavl4 protein, rat; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D009418:S100 Proteins; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D011794:Quercetin; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat
keywords: Diabetes; Enteric glia; Myenteric plexus; Neuronal nitric oxide synthase; Neuroprotection; Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide