The Adjunctive Effect of Quercetin on Postoperative Pain Management Following Cesarean Section

The cesarean section is a common gynecological surgery, accounting for 40-50% of deliveries in public hospitals. Effective pain management following a cesarean delivery is crucial, as inadequate control can hinder a mother's capacity to care for her newborn. Uncontrolled postoperative pain can lead to patient immobility, increasing the risk of thromboembolic complications. Failure to adequately manage pain can result in economic and medical issues, including longer hospital stays, higher readmission rates, increased patient recovery costs, and patient dissatisfaction with the quality of healthcare provided.

Opioid medications, particularly when administered via injection, have proven effective in alleviating acute pain, but they are associated with dose-related side effects. Therefore, it is prudent to investigate compounds that can potentiate the analgesic effects of opioids, enabling improved pain control while minimizing opioid consumption. Quercetin, a flavonoid and polyphenol found in various plants and fruits, has been studied for its anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenging, antidiabetic, anticancer, cardiovascular, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antiplatelet, antibacterial, and anti-obesity effects. Recent evidence indicates quercetin possesses anti-nociceptive effects in rodent models of chronic pain, including inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and cancer pain.

Quercetin has great potential for clinical use in pain treatment, as its safety is well established. However, there are limited clinical studies on the effect of quercetin on acute or chronic pain. The current study aims to assess the efficacy of preoperative quercetin administration in acute post-operative pain following cesarean section.