The Effects of Quercetin on Acute Lung Injury and Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Rat Model of Sepsis

Experimental studies indicate that sepsis causes remote organ injury although the molecular mechanism has not been clearly defined. In this report, the role of oxidative damage, and inflammation on lung injury, following sepsis model by cecal ligation and puncture, and the effects of quercetin, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory flavonoid, in the lung tissue were investigated. In the present study, we found that administration of single-dose quercetin before cecal ligation and puncture procedure, while markedly diminishing the levels of YKL-40 and oxidant molecules (xanthine oxidase (XO), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA)), increases the antioxidant enzymes levels. Quercetin is beneficial to acute lung injury by decreasing the levels of oxidative stress markers and increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities. Quercetin also causes a decrease in the serum levels of YKL-40 and periostin in the oxidative lung injury induced by the experimental sepsis model.