Studies on the effect of curcumin and quercetin in the liver of male albino rats exposed to gamma irradiation.

Ionizing radiation produces deleterious effects on living organisms. The present investigation has been carried out to study the prophylactic as well as the therapeutic effects of treated rats with quercetin (Quer) and curcumin (Cur), which are two medicinal herbs known for their antioxidant activities against damages induced by whole-body fractionated gamma irradiation. Exposure of rats to whole-body gamma irradiation induced a significant decrease in erythrocyte (RBC), leukocyte (WBCs), platelet count (Plt), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), hematocrit (Hct %), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and mean erythrocyte volume (MCV); a high increase in plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS); a nonsignificant statistical decrease in the mean value of serum glutathione (GSH); a significant increase in plasma alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), alkaline phosphates (ALP), serum total protein, serum total cholesterol levels, total triglycerides levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels; and with marked histological changes and structural changes measured by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). Applying both quercetin and curcumin pre- and postexposure to gamma radiation revealed a remarkable improvement in all the studied parameters. The cellular damage by gamma radiation is greatly mitigated by the coadministration of curcumin and quercetin before radiation exposure.