Mitigating oxidative stress in red blood cells with quercetin-loaded liposomes: a promising strategy

Abstract

Aging is a continuous process that occurs in the body and alters many physiological and cellular functions. It leads to numerous long-term ailments such as cancer, dementia, cardiovascular diseases, etc. To promote healthy aging with secondary metabolites and secondary metabolites encapsulated in liposomes, this study evaluated the effects of quercetin and quercetin-loaded liposomes on the oxidative stress biomarkers (GSH and MDA) of red blood cells, as RBCs deliver oxygen to tissues and are continuously exposed to oxidative stress. Quercetin is a flavonoid and has poor solubility in an aqueous medium; hence to enhance its bioavailability, it was encapsulated in liposomes. In this study, 34 healthy individuals of both sexes took part. An in vitro study was performed with RBCs of different age groups, namely, young, middle, and old. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) was used as a positive control, while quercetin and quercetin-loaded liposomes were used as treatment agents to check their effects on GSH and MDA levels. The study showed a significant (p < 0.0001) increase in GSH levels and a significant (p < 0.0001) decrease in MDA levels in the case of quercetin-loaded liposomes. The results of the current study indicated the antioxidant role of quercetin-loaded liposomes throughout the aging process. These findings hold significant promise in the area of biomedical research and further investigation is needed to use quercetin-loaded liposomes as a potential anti-aging agent and promote health and disease-free aging.