Experimental design
The experiment was conducted on total of fifteen male rats (12 months
old as ageing sample, N=12), plus young rats as a control (N=3), divided
into five groups of three rats per group as follows: Group 1 (exosomes
only group) contains old rats that were administered intragastrically
with empty exosome from mare’s milk once daily for a week. Group 2
(quercetin-loaded exosomes) has old rats administered intragastrically
with quercetin-loaded exosomes from mare’s milk (quercetin concentration
2 mg/ml, volume administered was 0.5ml per rat, equating to 1mg of
quercetin per rat) once daily for a week. Group 3 (quercetin only) has
old rats administered intragastrically with free quercetin (quercetin
concentration 2 mg/ml, volume administered was 0.5 ml per rat, equating
to 1 mg of quercetin per rat) once daily for a week. Group 4 (control-
untreated old rats) contains old rats that were administered
intragastrically with drinking water (manipulation control) at a volume
of 1 ml per rat. The fifth group (control- untreated young rats) has
young rats that were administered intragastrically with drinking water
once daily for a week. On the conclusion of the experiment day 8,
animals were killed and three major organs were harvested for analysis
including the heart, kidneys, and liver. Organs were preserved by
immersion in 10% neutral buffered formalin.