In vitro effect of quercetin on the physiologic funtions of peripheral blood neutrophils of rats

In traditional medicine, medicinal plants containing flavonoid compounds were used for several years in the treatment of various diseases. Quercetin is one of the flavonoid composition family that has a maximum antioxidant flavonoid content. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological features of peripheral blood neutrophils in rats treated with quercetin.
In this experimental study, after isolation of peripheral blood neutrophils in rats, neutrophils were teated with various concentrations of quercetin (0, 5, 10 and 20 micrograms per ml). The metabolic activity, phagocytosis capabilities, germicidal and respiratory burst of neutrophils were measured. In order to compare data statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used.
The results demonestrated that the phagocytic ability of neutrophils increases significantly at concentrations of 10 and 20 micrograms per ml. Moreover, the application of quercetin lead to a significant reduction in killing, respiratory burst, and survival of neutrophils in the treatment group compared to that of the control group (P Quercetin could be considered as a natural immunomodulator of innate responses. This might be due to the inflammation control of neutrophils.