چکیده (انگلیسی):

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective role of quercetin (Q) against the cytotoxicity,
DNA damage and oxidative stress in rats fed aflatoxin (AFs)-contaminated diet.
Female Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into six groups and treated for 21 days as follows:
the control group; the group fed AFs-contaminated diet (1.4 mg/kg diet); the groups
treated orally with Q at low or high dose (50 and 100 mg/kg b.w.) and the groups AFscontaminated
diet plus low or high dose of Q. At the end of experiment, blood and liver
samples were collected for biochemical, histological, histochemical and genetic analyses.
The results indicated that animal fed AFs-contaminated diet showed significant increase in
serum biochemical parameters, oxidative stress markers and DNA fragmentation accompanied
with significant decrease in total proteins, GPX, SOD, DNA and RNA content and fatty
acid synthase (Fas) and TNF gene expression in the liver tissue. Q at the two tested doses
succeeded to normalize the biochemical parameters, improved the content of nucleic acids
in hepatic tissues, the gene expression, the histopathological and histochemical picture of
the liver. It could be concluded that Q has a potential antioxidant activity, a protective action
and regulated the alteration of genes expression induced by AFs.