Do Quercetin and Vitamin E Properties Preclude Doxorubicin-induced Stress and Inflammation in Reproductive Tissues?

Background: In recent decades, the exposure to doxorubicin (DOX) has elevated due to the increment in the incidence of cancer, especially among the young population, which, despite the desired restorative impacts, threatened the quality of life of survivors, particularly concerning their reproductive ability. Objectives: Although previous studies have shown the effectiveness of quercetin (QCT) and vitamin E (Vit. E), two major dietary antioxidants with favorable attributes regarding the female reproductive system, on doxorubicin-induced insulting to the ovary and, uterus, the mechanisms involved in responding to stress and inflammation have not been elucidated. Hence, this study sought to evaluate the preventive effects of these two antioxidants on doxorubicin-induced disruption of ovarian and uterine stress and inflammation. Methods: The study involved 48 female rats that were equally allocated into 6 groups; control (CON), QCT (20mg/Kg), Vit. E (200mg/Kg), DOX (accumulative 15mg/Kg), DOX+QCT, and DOX+Vit.E. Upon 21 days treatment, the activity of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione-dependent system, Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric Oxide (NO), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the reproductive tissues and serum were evaluated. Results: Findings demonstrated that the levels of CAT, SOD, Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), and TAC were alleviated by the studied antioxidants in both tissues (p-value<0.05). Furthermore, both supplements revealed ameliorative effects on DOX-induced alterations in NO, MDA (pvalue< 0.001), and TNF-α levels. Conclusion: Taking together, the present findings suggested the promising alleviative properties of QCT and Vit. E via modulating stress- and inflammation-responsive mechanisms against DOXinduced female reproductive toxicity.