Neuroprotective effects of quercetin on cerebral vasospasm following experimental subarachnoid haemorrhage in rats

Abstract

Background/aim: We examined the protective effects of the natural flavonoid, quercetin, against cerebral vasospasm in an experimentalrat subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) model.Materials and methods: Thirty-eight albino Wistar rats were divided into five groups as follows: group 1 (G1, n=8), no experimentalintervention; group 2 (G2, n=8), subarachnoid physiological saline; group 3 (G3, n=8), SAH; group 4 (G4, n=7) SAH and low-dose (10mg/kg) quercetin treatment; group 5 (G5, n=7), SAH and high-dose (50 mg/kg) quercetin treatment. Subarachnoid haemorrhage wasinduced by injection of 0.15 cc of autologous blood taken from the tail artery into the cisterna magna from the craniocervical junctionand basilar arteries and blood samples were taken for biochemical and histopathological analyses.Results: Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in G2 and G3 than in G1 (P 0.05). There were no significant differences in basilar artery (BA) wall thickness between G3 and G4 or between G3 and G5, but G4and G5 showed greater luminal diameters than G3 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in BA thickness or luminal diameterbetween G4 and G5.Conclusion: Our results suggested that quercetin may be beneficial in SAH therapy by preventing vasospasm.