Quercetin suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation and attenuates histopathology in a rat model of spinal cord injury

Study design: Randomized experimental study. Objectives: To investigate the molecular mechanisms of quercetin in spinal cord injury (SCI) rats. Setting: China. Methods: One hundred female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: sham group, SCI group, SCI+Vehicle (Veh) group, and the SCI+Quercetin (Que) group. The influences of quercetin on proinflammatory cytokine levels, histological changes and locomotion scale were estimated. Results: SCI significantly promoted nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and increased proinflammatory cytokine productions in the SCI group as compared with the sham group. Quercetin administration significantly decreased reactive oxygen species production, inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and reduced inflammatory cytokine levels. Moreover, quercetin administration attenuated histopathology and promoted locomotion recovery. Conclusion: Quercetin can attenuate tissue damage and improve neurological function recovery, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.