Nicotine exacerbates reproductive biomarkers via generation of free radicals in female Wistar rats: Protective role of Quercetin

Background: Nicotine has been widely reported to generate free radicals in several organs of the body. Therefore, this study investigated the ameliorative potentials of Quercetin on selected reproductive biomarkers in female Wistar rats.Methods: Forty female rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=8) which were treated as follows: Group I (CN) received normal saline (1 ml/kg bwt); Group II (LN) received nicotine (0.5 mg/kg bwt) only; Group III (HN) received nicotine (1.0 mg/kg bwt) only; however, Groups IV (LNA) and V (HNA) received 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg of nicotine with 20 mg/kg of quercetin respectively. All administration were done orally and lasted 28 days. Results: Nicotine significant reduction in the bioavailability of estrogen and progesterone in the treated rats when compared to control. Furthermore, relative to the control group, nicotine administration resulted in significant elevation in MDAand consequently caused significant reduction in the antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) activities. However, quercetin treatment ameliorated these alterations. Conclusion: Quercetin dampens the reproductive distruptive effects exerted by nicotine through anti-oxidative mechanism in female Wistar rats.