Excess fructose associates with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that inhibits enzymes such as aconitase, which should affect mitochondrial metabolism. Yet there is a lack of studies investigating the impact of excess fructose on mitochondrial metabolic pathways and substrate utilization. We evaluated the impact of excess fructose on hepatocyte mitochondrial enzymes; citrate synthase (CS), aconitase and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT). Also, highresolution using complex I-linked substrates [pyruvate+malate (PM), glutamate+malate (GM) and PGM]. Fructose decreased the activities of aconitase and GOT by 35% and 47% respectively. Respiration at Leak, OXPHOS and ETS states were reduced with GM but not PM or PGM. Thus, excess fructose inhibits GOT activity, reduced mitochondrial leak respiration, OXPHOS and ETS capacity. These changes were observed with complex-1 linked respiration (substrates GM). Therefore, fructose impairs mitochondrial respiration and substrate utilization via the enzyme GOT.lines were initially propagated in 25 cm 2 flasks (Bibby Sterilin, Stone, Staffordshire, UK), at 37 °C in 5 mL DMEM (Gibco BRL, Inchinnan, Scotland) containing 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum, 20 mM HEPES, 10 mM NaHCO 3 , 100 μg mL -1 penicillin G, and 100 μg mL -1 streptomycin sulfate (Whittaker Bioproducts, Walkersville, MD, USA) at pH 7.5. Cells were incubated for 24 h to permit attachment and grown to semiconfluence and passaged 1:3 every 4-5 days. One group of cells received normal growth medium (control group, DMEM for 72 hours), while the second group were exposed to growth medium supplemented with excess fructose (15 mM, 72 hours) as previously reported [6].
Enzyme activity measurementsSample preparation: HepG2 cells were homogenised in extraction buffer (0.1 M Tris-HCl; 15 mM Tricarballylic acid; pH 7.8) and incubated on ice for 20 min. The homogenate was centrifuged at 10 000 rpm for 20 min and the supernatant was used as a sample for further experimentation. Subsequent enzyme assays were performed according to modified protocols previously described by Wang et al. [11]. Citrate synthase: The following components were added in a cuvette: 473 µl of citrate synthase buffer (0.1 M Tris-HCl, 1.25 mM 5,5'-dithiobis-[2-nitrobenzoic acid] in deionized water, pH 8.0), 2 µl of sample and 25 µl of Oxaloacetate-Acetyl-CoA solution (50 mM Madlala HP (2018) Fructose impairs mitochondrial respiration and substrate utilization in hepatocytes via the enzyme, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase