Bioavailability of the flavonol quercetin in cows after intraruminal application of quercetin aglycone and rutin

The bioavailability of quercetin has been intensively investigated in monogastric species, but knowledge about its bioavailability in ruminants does not exist. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the bioavailability of quercetin in nonlactating cows equipped with indwelling catheters placed in one jugular vein after intraruminal and additionally after i.v. application, respectively. Quercetin was administered intraruminally in equimolar amounts, either in the aglycone form or as its glucorhamnoside rutin, each at 2 dosages [10 and 50 mg of quercetin/kg of body weight (BW)]. In a second trial, 0.8 mg of quercetin aglycone/kg of BW was applied i.v. Blood samples were drawn 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h after intraruminal application and every 5 min (first hour), every 10 min (second hour), and at 3 and 6 h after i.v. bolus application, respectively. Quercetin and quercetin metabolites with an intact flavonol structure (isorhamnetin, tamarixetin, and kaempferol) in plasma samples were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. After intraruminal application of quercetin and rutin, respectively, quercetin and its methylated (isorhamnetin, tamarixetin) and dehydroxylated (kaempferol) derivatives were present in plasma mainly as conjugated forms, whereas free quercetin and its derivatives were scarcely detected. For rutin, the relative bioavailability of total flavonols (sum of conjugated and nonconjugated quercetin and its conjugated and nonconjugated derivatives after intake of 50 mg/kg of BW) was 767.3% compared with quercetin aglycone (100%). Absolute bioavailability of total flavonols was only 0.1 and 0.5% after quercetin aglycone and rutin applications, respectively. Our data demonstrate that bioavailability of quercetin from rutin is substantially higher compared with that from quercetin aglycone in cows after intraruminal (or oral) application, unlike in monogastric species.