MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF QUINOA ON RAT KIDNEY: A DOSE-DEPENDENT STUDY ON PYROPTOSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE
TL;DR
Evidence is provided that dietary quinoa beneficially modulates renal molecular pathways involved in oxidative stress and inflammatory responses under physiological conditions.
Abstract
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.