Introduction: Nicotine is the most important component of cigarettes and is considered a strong carcinogen. Quercetin (QCT) is potent anticancer and antioxidant agent. Both nicotine and QCT can pass the placenta and appear in breast milk.
Aim of the Work: To study the possible protective role of QCT on nicotine induced liver and kidney structural damage of neonates.
Materials and Methods: Eighteen pregnant female albino rats were divided into 3 groups. The control group was injected subcutaneously (SC) by distilled water. The nicotine group was injected SC by nicotine (6mg/kg/d). Nicotine and QCT group was injected by nicotine and take simultaneously QCT orally (302 mg/kg/day). Twelve male neonates were taken from each group and divided into two subgroups (a and b). Offspring subgroups (1a, 2a, 3a) were sacrificed 2 weeks postnatal and offspring subgroups (1b, 2b, 3b) were sacrificed 4 weeks postnatal. By end of experiment, liver and kidney specimens were processed for histological and immunological studies.
Results: In nicotine group, neonates' liver showed hepatocytes with pyknotic nuclei and vacuolated cytoplasm. Portal area showed more than one bile duct and cellular infiltrates. QCT and nicotine group showed moderate restoration of hepatic architecture especially in subgroup 3a. Transforming growth factor -β immnnoexpression was increased in nicotine group indicating liver damage while decreased in nicotine and QCT group, indicating some improvement. Neonates' kidney of nicotine group showed shrunken glomeruli, congestion of peritubular capillaries and homogenous eosinophilic material in tubular lumina. In nicotine and QCT group, there was minimal renal tissue improvement. Immunoexpression of COX-2 was much in kidney tissue of nicotine group indicating kidney damage, while in nicotine and QCT group, it was less expressed.
Conclusion: Maternal QCT administration has a moderate role to protect neonatal liver against damage produced by maternal nicotine injection while this protective role was less in kidney