Suppression of acetaminophen-induced hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations in rats using a combination of resveratrol and quercetin

Ingestion of a toxic dose of the analgesic drug, acetaminophen (also called paracetamol or APAP), is among the most common causes of acute liver injury in humans. We tested the hypothesis that the combined polyphenolic compounds, resveratrol (RES) and quercetin (QUR), can substantially protect against hepatocyte ultrastructural damage induced by a toxic dose of APAP in a rat model of APAP-induced acute liver injury. The model group of rats received a single dose of APAP (2 g/kg), whereas the protective group of rats was pretreated for 7 days with combined doses of RES (30 mg/kg) and QUR (50 mg/kg) before being given a single dose of APAP. All rats were then sacrificed 24 hours post APAP ingestion. Harvested liver tissues were prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) staining, and liver homogenates were assayed for biomarkers of inflammation, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In addition, blood samples were assayed for the liver injury enzyme alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as an indicator of liver damage. TEM images showed that APAP overdose induced acute liver injury as demonstrated by profound hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations, which were substantially protected by RES+QUR. In addition, APAP significantly (p < 0.05) modulated TNF-α, IL-6, MDA, SOD, GPx, and ALT biomarkers, which were completely protected by RES+QUR. Thus, RES+QUR effectively protects against APAP-induced acute liver injury in rats, possibly via the inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress.