5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is
a processing byproduct present
in foods that are consumed daily by humans, and the diet is the principal
route for human exposure to it. However, its adverse effects on gastric
epithelial cells are not fully understood. Based on the half inhibitory
concentration value, concentrations of HMF of 2, 4, 8, and 16 mM were
selected for this study. After 5-HMF treatment for 24 h, the number
of living cells decreased to 89.61 ± 0.48, 77.30 ± 0.57,
58.75 ± 0.36, and 19.61 ± 0.40% of the control, respectively.
Apoptosis activated through both the death receptor and mitochondrial
pathways was confirmed to be the primary mode of HMF-induced cell
death. Further analysis revealed that the reactive oxygen species
(ROS) levels in GES-1 cells increased 1.7–6.5 fold after exposure
to 5-HMF. Moreover, the inhibition of ROS by N-acetylcysteine
blocked HMF-induced apoptosis and cell proliferation suppression,
indicating that oxidative stress was important in HMF-induced apoptosis.
Besides, after 5-HMF treatment, the gene expressions of occludin and
ZO-1 were reduced by 1.1–3.4 fold and 2.0–9.4 fold,
respectively. The cell surface morphology and tight junction-related
protein expression analysis also revealed the destructive effect of
5-HMF on tight junction integrity. Our research highlights a potential
mechanism of HMF-induced toxicity in GES-1 cells and provides additional
information on the health risks of 5-HMF exposure to the human gastric
epithelium.