Quercetin Alleviates Red Bull Energy Drink-Induced Cerebral Cortex Neurotoxicity via Modulation of Nrf2 and HO-1

Figure 7

Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from the cerebral cortex of rats from different groups (×400, scale bars: 50 μm). (a) Control group displays normal architecture, cortical neurons with well-circumscribed euchromatic nuclei (arrows), and prominent nucleoli. Between the neuronal cells are neuropils, which reveal smaller nuclei of neuroglial cells (NG) and blood vessels (BV) with narrow perivascular spaces. (b) Neurons from the RB-treated group reveal degenerative histomorphological alterations with vacuoles (#) in the cytoplasm and pyknosis (curved arrows) or karyolysis (arrowheads) in the nuclei. The blood vessels (BV) appear congested, with perivascular spaces widening. There is also evidence of inflammatory cellular infiltration (circle). (c) In group III, concomitant administration of QR with the RB demonstrates an improvement of the cerebral cortex’s histomorphological structure, aside from the appearance of a few cytoplasmic rarefactions (#) and scattered nuclei with either chromatin margination (arrow) or condensed chromatin alteration (curved arrows). (d) Cytoplasmic vacuoles (#) and either pyknosis (curved arrows) or marginated chromatin (arrow) of the neuronal nuclei as well as inflammatory cellular infiltration (circles) appear in the RB-recovery group.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)