Type of supplemented simple sugar, not merely calorie intake, determines adverse effects on metabolism and aortic function in female rats

Abstract

This is the first study comparing the effects of glucose and fructose consumption on metabolic factors and aortic function in female rats. Our results show that, although total caloric consumption was higher in glucose-supplemented rats, fructose ingestion had a greater impact in inducing metabolic and aortic dysfunction.

Impact of Fish Oil Supplementation and Interruption of Fructose Ingestion on Glucose and Lipid Homeostasis of Rats Drinking Different Concentrations of Fructose

“…Furthermore, this was followed by a decrease in water and food intake in relation to their controls (Figures 2(e) – 2(h) ), a behavior already demonstrated in previous studies with higher fructose concentrations (e.g., 25% and 60% fructose in the tap water) [ 6 , 7 ]. This feedback leading to reduced food ingestion was previously associated with augmented insulinemia and leptinemia, two known anorexic hormones [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 35 ]. Although the total energy intake was unaltered comparing fructose (30% group) and control animals during the 9-week treatment in our study, it is important to emphasize that they had the worst qualitative diet composition.…”

“…We suggest that rat's age (young rats when the fructose is introduced) and organism plasticity (physiological adaptation to the insult) may be beyond these mild effects of fructose ingestion on such metabolic parameters. There are a number of studies in rodents with fructose intake failing to achieve alterations in parameters related to glucose metabolism [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 35 ] and also studies failing to achieve alterations in lipid metabolism [ 11 , 35 , 37 ], which turn this model somehow debatable. As suggested before, one should have two contexts in mind: firstly, the fact that rats were very young (30 days old) at the beginning of our study might have contributed to an elevated capacity to metabolize substrates [ 39 , 40 ].…”

“…Nevertheless, fish oil exerted no effect on that. Several studies demonstrated that fructose ingestion led to increased plasma insulin values [ 4 , 9 – 11 , 13 , 44 , 45 ], while others did not observe this alteration [ 8 , 12 , 43 ]. Many of these studies attributed a reduction of insulin sensitivity based on the HOMA calculus or simply on elevated plasma insulin levels, but no additional tests such as ITT or euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic [ 9 , 13 ] were applied.…”

“…Fructose is one of the sweeteners intensively used by the food industry (e.g., as high fructose corn syrup) due to its high palatability and the effective low cost [ 3 ]. Several rodent models were and still are dedicated to understanding the adverse effects of fructose ingestion on metabolism (by adding fructose in the tap water or in the solid diet) and the most prevalent impacts on metabolism include the elevation of abdominal fat depots [ 4 – 8 ], circulating triacylglycerol levels [ 4 – 6 , 8 , 9 ] and, although less consistent, the alterations in glucose tolerance [ 10 , 11 ], insulin sensitivity [ 12 , 13 ], and basal glycemia [ 12 , 14 ]. Although there is evidence of a negative effect of fructose per se on glucose and lipid metabolism, these adverse repercussions are more consistent and severe when combined with additional metabolic challenges found in our daily lifestyle, such as the consumption of food containing a high proportion of saturated fat [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Guidelines for authors and reviewers on antibody use in physiology studies

“…The search did not include the use of antibodies for flow cytometry, ELISAs, or blocking studies. From the search results, we evaluated all articles published in 2017, for a total of 28 articles ( 2 , 8 – 11 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 26 – 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 41 , 42 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 50 – 52 , 54 , 58 ). Of these, 79% (22 of 28 articles) used immunoblot analysis, and 39% (11 of 28 articles) used immunohistochemistry (5 articles of the 28 evaluated used both techniques, 18%).…”