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Quercetin and tin protoporphyrin attenuate hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury: role of HO-1

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Abstract

Ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury occurs in many clinical situations such as organ transplantation and hepatectomies resulting in oxidative stress and immune activation. Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) is the rate-limiting step in the heme-degradation pathway and has a critical cytoprotective role. Induction of HO-1 improves liver I/R injury. Quercetin, a plant pigment (flavonoid), is an antioxidant and HO-1 inducer. Tin protoporphyrin (SnPP) is a HO-1 inhibitor. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of quercetin in hepatic I/R injury and the role of HO-1. Wister rats were randomly divided into four groups (sham, I/R, quercetin, and SnPP). Liver ischemia was induced for 45 min then reperfusion was allowed for 1 h. Quercetin and surprisingly SnPP ameliorate the deleterious effect of I/R by reducing the oxidative stress and hepatocyte degeneration. Both agents decreased the elevated inflammatory cytokines and improved the inhibition of the antiapoptotic marker, Bcl2. They induced HO-1 content and expression. Quercetin has better cytoprotective effect than SnPP. These findings suggest that quercetin has a hepatoprotective effect against I/R injury via HO-1 induction and unexpectedly, SnPP showed the similar effect. Quercetin has more prominent protective effect than SnPP because of its superior ability to induce HO-1.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Mohamed Atif Said (Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University) and Prof. Dr. Adel Bakir (Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary, Cairo University) for the histopathological examination of the liver.

This work was funded by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Industries, Future University in Egypt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Industries, Future University, Cairo, Egypt

    Yara Atef & Yousra Abdel-Mottaleb

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Hassan M. El-Fayoumi & Mona F. Mahmoud

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, Sinai University Qantara, El Arish - El Masaid, Egypt

    Hassan M. El-Fayoumi

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  1. Yara Atef
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  2. Hassan M. El-Fayoumi
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  3. Yousra Abdel-Mottaleb
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Correspondence to Mona F. Mahmoud.

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Atef, Y., El-Fayoumi, H.M., Abdel-Mottaleb, Y. et al. Quercetin and tin protoporphyrin attenuate hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury: role of HO-1. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 390, 871–881 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-017-1389-9

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