Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory action of calorie restriction and quercetin in two age groups of rats: Involvement of thioredoxin and heme oxygenase-1

Background

Aging associated with an increase in free radicals, inflammatory factors and oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate potential of calorie restriction (CR) and quercetin (QUER) in alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation in aging.

Methods

Two age groups of male Wistar rats (8 and 20 weeks) were included in the study and subdivided to normal diet (ND), ND with QUER (15 mg Kg⁻¹, IP), ND with CR, and ND with QUER and CR groups.

Results

We showed higher expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) in 20-week-old rats compared with 8-week-old rats, and the administration of QUER and CR for 4 weeks restored this value to the normal range. The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and thioredoxin (TXN) are also affected by CR and QUER. CR alone and in combination with QUER significantly raised the expression of the TXN and HO-1 genes. Also, CR alone and in combination with QUER significantly reduced thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) gene expression.

Conclusions

QUER and CR jointly improved the adverse impacts of aging through the regulation of antioxidant signaling pathways, indicating the potential of this blend as a supplementary therapeutic approach for aging and age-related ailments.