MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF QUINOA ON RAT KIDNEY: A DOSE-DEPENDENT STUDY ON PYROPTOSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE
Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to renal dysfunction, and antioxidant-rich functional foods may modulate these processes. This study evaluated the effects of dietary quinoa on oxidative stress and the expression of pyroptosis, inflammation and apoptosis-related genes in healthy rat kidneys. Forty male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to control and diet groups containing 5%, 10% or 20% quinoa for six weeks (n=10). Rat body weight, superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione, and malondialdehyde levels in kidney tissue were measured; expression of nine genes was assessed in a representative subgroup using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Quinoa dose-dependently increased antioxidant markers, reduced lipid peroxidation, and downregulated inflammasome (Nlrp3, Casp-1,Gsdmd), inflammatory (Nf-κB, IL-1β, Tnf-α), and apoptotic (Bax,Casp-3) genes, while increasing Bcl2 expression, with the greatest effects at 10% and 20% quinoa. These findings provide evidence that dietary quinoa beneficially modulates renal molecular pathways involved in oxidative stress and inflammatory responses under physiological conditions.