Effects of quercetin, vitamin E, and estrogen on Metabolic-Related factors in uterus and serum of ovariectomized rat models

Abstract

Aims

Estrogen (E2) deficiency has been related to uterine metabolic dysfunction, which could be accompanied by infertility in the reproductive ages. Despite having adverse effects, estrogen replacement therapy is considered the fundamental treatment strategy for this problem. The current study sought to determine the palliative effects of quercetin (Q) and vitamin E (Vit.E) on some of the uterine's metabolism-related factors in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and compare them with the effects of estrogen.

Materials and methods

Sixty-four rats were divided into eight groups. OVX animals were treated with Q (15 mg/kg/day), Vit.E (60 mg/kg/day), E2 (10 µg/kg/day), and Q (7.5 mg/kg/day) + Vit.E (30 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. Glucose and adiponectin were measured using glucose oxidase and ELISA, respectively. Furthermore, the present study investigated the alterations in the expression of AdipoR1, nesfatin1, and GluT4 genes.

Results

Antioxidants suppress the weight gain of OVX animals. Also, Q, Vit.E, and E2 cause a significant decline in glucose and adiponectin levels (p-value < .05). Finally, the expression of AdipoR1, nesfatin1, and GLUT4 genes was significantly increased in treated OVX rats' uterus.

Conclusion

The present findings suggest that the administration of Q and Vit.E could demonstrate promising characteristics in a similar approach with estradiol and thus be considered as alternatives for estrogen replacement therapy.

槲皮素、维生素E和雌激素对切除卵巢的大鼠的子宫和血清代谢相关因子的影响 摘要

目的：雌激素（E2）缺乏与子宫代谢功能障碍有关, 在育龄期可伴有不孕症。尽管有副作用, 但雌激素替代疗法被认为是解决这一问题的基本治疗策略。本研究试图确定槲皮素（Q）和维生素E（Vit.E）对切除卵巢（OVX）的大鼠子宫的代谢相关因子的缓解作用, 并与雌激素的作用进行比较。

材料与方法：将64只大鼠分为8组, 采用Q（15mg / kg /天）, Vit.E（60mg / kg /天）, E2（10mg / kg /天）, Q（7.5mg / kg /天）+Vit.E（30mg / kg /天）治疗OVX大鼠10周。采用葡萄糖氧化酶和ELISA测量葡萄糖和脂联素。此外, 本研究评估了AdipoR1, nesfatin1和GluT4基因表达的改变。

结果：抗氧化剂抑制OVX动物的体重增加。此外, Q, Vit.E和E2也导致葡萄糖和脂联素水平显著下降（p<0.05）。最后, 在治疗的OVX大鼠子宫内, AdipoR1, nesfatin1和GluT4基因的表达显著增加。

结论：本研究结果表明, Q和Vit.E的给药可以在与雌二醇类似的方法中表现出有希望的特征, 因此被认为是雌激素替代疗法的替代方案。

Keywords:

• Phytoestrogen
• endocrinology
• nutrition
• quercetin
• vitamin

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This paper was supported by the Vice-chancellor for Research Affairs of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [Grant Number 17490].