LAUSR

BACKGROUND Gastric mucosal injury caused by ethanol is a common gastrointestinal disease. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), as a nutrient-rich grain, plays a significant role in preventing and treating gastric mucosal damage. The purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect of quinoa on alcohol-induced gastric mucosal damage and its possible mechanism. RESULTS The ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury rat model was used for in vivo experiments and H2 O2 -induced GES-1 cells for in vitro experiments to elucidate the protective effect of quinoa. The results show that quinoa water extract can increase the superoxide dismutase level and decrease the malondialdehyde level in vitro and in vivo. Besides, quinoa also reduced the bleeding point and bleeding area in rats with ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and improved gastric histopathological changes. H2 O2 significantly increased the levels of inflammatory factors in GES-1 cells, which were markedly ameliorated by quinoa water extract. Likewise, quinoa water extract regulated the protein expression levels of Nrf2, Keap1, HO-1, p-IKK and p-NF-κB through Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways, reduced the production of oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby repaired the damaged gastric mucosa. CONCLUSION The findings of this study demonstrated that quinoa shows protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. We also hope that our research can provide a reference for quinoa as a functional food. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.