The effect of Quercetin supplementation on hyperuricemia-related biochemical and renal outcomes in animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Quercetin, has been proposed as a supplement to improve uric acid -related indices. However, finding supporting evidence remains inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of quercetin supplementation on lipid profile, renal function indices, oxidative stress, and inflammatory biomarkers. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China Knowledge Network, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform from inception to August 2024 were searched. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Seventeen case studies were included. Quercetin supplementation significantly reduced serum uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cr), fractional excretion of uric acid (FEur), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, and improved oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-a) (p < 0.05). Improvements were also observed in lipid parameters such as triglycerides (TG) and very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) (p < 0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated that dose and intervention duration influenced outcomes, but the direction and magnitude varied by specific biomarker. However, quercetin supplementation did not have significant effect on urinary UA, urinary Cr, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that quercetin has the potential to improve key biochemical markers, including SUA, VLDL, TNF-α, TG, SOD, Cr, BUN, MDA, IL-6, and FEur, in animal models of hyperuricemia. However, due to high heterogeneity across studies and varying risk of bias, these results should be interpreted cautiously.