Quercetin attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation- and excitotoxin-induced neurotoxicity in primary cortical cell cultures

The possible role of quercetin, a naturally occurring plant flavonoid, in protecting against oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-, excitotoxins-, and free radical-induced neuronal injury in mouse cortical cell cultures was investigated. Pre- and co-treatment with quercetin (100 muM) inhibited 50 min OGD-, 20 muM N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-, and 50 muM kainate-induced neurotoxicity by 36, 22, and 61%, respectively. Quercetin significantly ameliorated free radical-induced neuronal injury caused by buthionine sulfoximine, sodium nitroprusside, ZnCl2, and FeCl2. These results suggest that quercetin may contribute a neuroprotective action against ischemic neural injury, partially via antioxidant actions.