Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of quercetin on peak bone mass and organ pathology in growing mice. Methods Forty SPF grade C57 female mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, with 10 mice in each group. They were divided into control group (Control), low dose quercetin group (Q-20), medium dose quercetin group (Q-40), and high dose quercetin group (Q-80). The Q-20, Q-40, and Q-80 groups were given 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg quercetin by gavage every day, respectively. The control group was given equal volume distilled water. After 6 weeks of administration, samples were taken for observation of organ coefficients, pathological sections of main organs, pathological sections of bone tissue, analytical Micro CT, and protein immunoblotting experiments. Results There was no significant difference in the main organ coefficients between the quercetin group and the control group (P>0.05); No obvious pathological changes and toxic side effects were found in the pathological sections of the organs; Compared with control group, Q-20 group had fewer adipocytes and more consistent and neat bone trabeculae; Compared with control group mice, the values of Tb.BMD, Tb.N, Tb.Th, Ct.BMD, and Tb.BV/TV in Q-20, Q-40, and Q-80 groups increased, but the Tb.SP values decreased, with significant differences (P<0.05); The expression of OSX, COL-1, Runx-2, and BMP-2 in Q-20 group was the most significant, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.01). Conclusion Quercetin may increase peak bone mass by increasing bone density, improving bone microstructure, promoting bone formation, and has no significant side effects on organs