Evaluation of hepatic and remote organ injury in an experimental liver ischemia-reperfusion model in rats and the effects of quercetin on this damage.

Background: This study aims to show the changes in the liver, lung, kidney, and heart in the liver ischemia-reperfusion model in rats and the effect of quercetin on these changes histopathologically and immunohistochemically.

Methods: Eighteen Sprague Dawley rats were classified into three groups: Group 1 sham, Group 2 ischemia-reperfusion (IR), Group 3 ischemia-reperfusion + quercetin (IR+Q). For three days, distilled water was given to Group 1, and quercetin was given to Group 3 via gavage. At the end of the third day, abdominal opening-closing was applied to Group 1, and 4 hours of reperfusion was applied to Groups 2 and 3 after 1 hour of ischemia by clamping the hepatoduodenal ligament, and all rats were euthanized. Liver, lung, kidney, and heart tissue samples were stained with Hematoxylin Eosin (HE), Masson Trichrome, Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), and TUNEL (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay) to assess apoptosis and examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically under a light microscope.

Results: In the liver, the damage score was significantly higher in the IR group than in the sham group, while it was significantly lower in the IR+Q group than in the IR group. While there was no significant difference between the groups in semi-quantitative scoring parameters, the Apoptotic Index was significantly higher in the IR group than in the sham group and significantly lower in the IR+Q group than in the IR group. In the lung, no significant difference in lung damage scores between the groups was observed. While the Apoptotic Index was significantly higher in the IR group than in the sham group, it was significantly lower in the IR+Q group than in the IR group. In the kidneys, tubular cell degeneration and intertubular vascular congestion were significantly higher in the IR group than in the sham group. While the Apoptotic Index was higher in the IR group than in the sham and IR+Q groups, it was higher in the IR+Q group than in the sham group. In the heart, there was no difference between the groups in terms of myocardial cell degeneration and vascular damage. The apoptotic index was significantly higher in the IR group than in the sham and IR+Q groups.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that histopathological damage occurs in the liver, lung, kidney, and heart in the experimentally created IR model, and quercetin application decreases IR-related damage and apoptosis in these organs.