Quercetin Attenuates High-Fat High-Sugar Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome: Histopathological and Computational Histomorphometric Evidence in Wistar Rats
Abstract
Abstract Metabolic syndrome is increasingly associated with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and multi-organ dysfunction. This study investigated the protective effects of quercetin against high-fat/high-sugar (HFHS) diet-induced metabolic, hepatic, and renal alterations in Wistar rats. Adult rats (120–150 g) were randomly assigned into five groups (n = 6/group): control, HFHS, HFHS + quercetin 100 mg/kg (HFHS/Q100), HFHS + quercetin 200 mg/kg (HFHS/Q200), and HFHS + metformin 25 mg/kg (HFHS/MET). Metabolic, biochemical, histopathological, quantitative histomorphometric, colour histogram, and computational tissue analyses were performed. HFHS feeding significantly increased body weight, feed intake, blood glucose, plasma insulin, leptin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, malondialdehyde, TNF-α, liver enzymes, urea, and creatinine, while reducing adiponectin, total antioxidant capacity, and IL-10 levels. Histopathological examination revealed marked hepatic and renal structural alterations including hepatocellular vacuolation, sinusoidal distortion, tubular degeneration, glomerular disruption, and reduced tissue compactness. Quantitative histomorphometric and computational analyses demonstrated treatment-dependent alterations in cellular profile density, stained area fraction, optical density, texture entropy, and RGB staining characteristics. Quercetin supplementation significantly ameliorated HFHS-induced metabolic,…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a preprint, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 6 participants or records.
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