Rutin might be a better way to get quercetin, if you're a rat. Posted here:
Journal of Health Science, 46(4) 229–240 (2000) 229
Effects of Quercetin and Rutin on Serum and Hepatic Lipid Concentrations, Fecal Steroid Excretion and Serum Antioxidant
Yumiko Nakamura,* Susumu Ishimitsu, and Yasuhide Tonogai
Division of Food Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Osaka Branch, 1–1–43, Hoenzaka, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540–0006, Japan
Effects of quercetin and rutin on serum and hepatic lipid concentrations, fecal steroid excretion and their antioxidant properties were investigated in rats by oral administration. No toxic symptom was observed even at the dose of 1.0 g/kg of quercetin or rutin. Serum and hepatic lipid concentrations and fecal steroid excretion was not influenced remarkably, but serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) decreased dose-dependently with the administration of quercetin or rutin. The decrease of serum TBARS was significantly correlated with the increase of serum free flavonoids (p < 0.05–0.001). Serum flavonoid concentrations, especially free quercetin, were higher in rutin-administered rats than in quercetin-administered rats at doses of 1.0 g/kg for 10 d (p < 0.05– 0.001). When 1.0 g/kg of quercetin or rutin was administered in a single dose, they remained in the blood as aglycone or their conjugates of quercetin and isorhamnetin, even three days after administration. Recovered fla- vonoids were only 0.13% and 0.89% in urine for 3 d and 0.03% and 0.13% in serum on day 3 by administration of quercetin and rutin, respectively. Thus, some part of the administered quercetin or rutin was metabolized and showed antioxidant property, but had no remarkable influence on serum or hepatic lipid concentrations or fecal steroid excretion in rats.
J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Apr 23;51(9):2785-9.
Absorption and urinary excretion of quercetin, rutin, and alphaG-rutin, a water soluble flavonoid, in rats.
Shimoi K1, Yoshizumi K, Kido T, Usui Y, Yumoto T.
Quercetin, rutin, alphaG-rutin (a water soluble flavonoid), and a mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin were administered to rats by a single gastric intubation, and their absorption and urinary excretion were examined. The plasma and 24 h urinary levels of aglycons (quercetin and tamarixetin/isorhamnetin) were measured by HPLC after deconjugation with beta-glucuronidase/sulfatase treatment. alphaG-rutin was absorbed more rapidly than quercetin or rutin, and the plasma concentrations of quercetin and tamarixetin/isorhamnetin reached the highest peak level 30 min after dosing. Quercetin, rutin, and the mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin showed the first peak level 8 h, 8 h, and 30 min after dosing, respectively. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for quercetin in rats administered alphaG-rutin was approximately 4.5- and 2-fold higher than those in rats administered quercetin and rutin, respectively, and was almost the same as that in rats administered a mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin. The highest 24 h urinary excretion was observed in alphaG-rutin-administered rats. These results suggest that alphaG-rutin is absorbed more efficiently than either quercetin or rutin and that a high plasma concentration can be maintained by supplying rutin and alphaG-rutin in combination.
PMID: 12696973
In other words: The the AUC for quercetin in rats administered rutin was 2.25-fold higher than in rats administered quercetin.