Introduction: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are manufactured fluorinated chemicals, including Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), they cause dormant environmental toxicity. Quercetin (QE), one of the major flavonoids, present in numerous food, has anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Aim of the Study: The study aimed to clarify the potential hepatoprotective role of QE against PFOS-induced liver histological and immunohistochemical changes in adult male albino rats.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-six adult male albino rats were randomly and equally distributed into three groups: Control group, PFOS-treated group: were received PFOS (20 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage for 28 days and PFOS+QE group: were received PFOS (20 mg/kg/day) and QE (75 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, the rats in all groups were anesthetized, sacrificed, and the livers were processed for biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical study.
Results: In the PFOS-treated group, body weight, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalyze (CAT) levels significantly decreased while liver weight, liver function tests (LFTs), malondialdehyde (MDA), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly increased. Microscopically, liver sections of the PFOS-treated group exhibited inflammatory cellular infiltration, hepatocytes with vacuolation, abnormally shaped nuclei and swollen mitochondria. Also, strong positive reactions for Caspase 3 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were detected. The PFOS+QE group displayed a significant resetting of the biochemical parameters and a partial extenuation of the light, electron, and immunohistochemical changes.
Conclusion: This work could highlight the possibility of using QE as a preventative strategy for potential PFOS-induced hepatic toxicity.