Metabolic Effects of Access to Sucrose Drink in Female Rats and Transmission of Some Effects to Their Offspring

Maternal malnutrition associated with postnatal sugar consumption increases inflammatory response and prostate disorders in rat offspring

Maternal malnutrition can alter developmental biology, programming health and disease in offspring. The increase in sugar consumption during the peripubertal period, a worldwide concern, also affects health through adulthood. Studies have shown that maternal exposure to a low protein diet (LPD) is associated with an increase in prostate disease with aging. However, the combined effects of maternal LPD and early postnatal sugar consumption on offspring prostate disorders were not investigated. The effects on aging were evaluated using a maternal gestational model with lactational LPD (6% protein) and sugar consumption (10%) from postnatal day (PND) 21-90, associating the consequences on ventral prostate (VP) rats morphophysiology on PND540. An increase was shown in mast cells and in the VP of the CTR + SUG and Gestational and Lactational Low Protein (GLLP) groups. In GLLP + SUG, a significant increase was shown in TGF-β1 expression in both the systemic and intra-prostatic forms, and SMAD2/3p had increased. The study identified maternal LPD and sugar consumption as risk factors for prostatic homeostasis in senility, activating the TGFβ1-SMAD2/3 pathway, a signaling pathway with potential markers for prostatic disorders.

Sugar consumption induces the consummatory suppression of sugary ethanol: Differential effects of sugar restriction according to sex and age

Sweet foods activate the reward system that is essential in processing natural reinforcers. Maturation changes in this system during adolescence are linked to heightened impulsivity and risk-seeking behavior, including the use of drugs like ethanol. This usually starts with the consumption of sugary mixtures. However, the influence of sugar exposure on ethanol consumption remains inconclusive. The present research examines the effect of long-term sugar exposure on sugary ethanol (S-EtOH) preference and net intake, exploring the implications of sex, age, accessor restriction of sugar, and its effect during the transition into adulthood. Wistar rats of both sexes were given 24-hour access to a sugar solution for 21 days during adolescence or adulthood. Subsequently, four preference tests of S-EtOH vs. water were carried out every other day, with or without sugar access between each preference test. Our results demonstrate that continuous acute and long-term sugar access induces a consummatory suppression effect on S-EtOH intake, particularly in adult rats, irrespective of sex. This effect becomes more pronounced with more extended periods of exposure to sugar, leading to a higher prevalence of low consumers. Notably, when sugar access was restricted after high familiarization, the suppression effect in adolescent male rats was reduced. Under these conditions, the rats appeared to be more susceptible to developing a preference for S-EtOH consumption. Furthermore, our longitudinal observations reveal that sugar access or restriction conditions during the transition from adolescence to adulthood play a crucial role in shaping S-EtOH consumption patterns in adulthood.

Metabolic consequences of flavonoid and saponin extracts from Gongronema Latifolium leaves in offspring of rats that consumed sucrose during lactation

Objectives

This study examines the metabolic consequences of saponin and flavonoid extracts of Gongronema latifolium leaves in rat offspring whose mothers consumed sucrose during breastfeeding.

Methods

Thirty-two female albino Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control group, given water only: sucrose group, given sucrose solution only; flavonoid groups, given sucrose solution and 100 mg/kg b.w. and 200 mg/kg b.w. of flavonoid and saponin groups, given sucrose solution and 100 mg/kg b.w. and 200 mg/kg b.w. of saponin extracts, for 3 weeks during lactation. Then the body, hepatic and pancreatic weights, food intake, glucose tolerance, lipid profile, insulin, and leptin levels of their offspring were measured.

Results

There was a significant decrease in the body weight (BW), food intake, and glucose level among the flavonoid and saponin groups compared to the control group. However, when compared to the sucrose group, there was a significant decrease in food intake, blood glucose level, triglyceride, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and a significant increase in the BW. There was no significant difference in insulin and leptin levels, hepatic, and pancreatic weights among groups.

Conclusion

This study shows that G. lactifolium consumption among lactating rats maintains metabolic homeostatic as it protects against elevated blood glucose level and dyslipidemia in offspring post-weaning. It also suggests that the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of G. latifolium maybe as a result of saponin and flavonoids inherent in the plant.

AKT and MAPK signaling pathways in hippocampus reveals the pathogenesis of depression in four stress-induced models

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly heterogeneous psychiatric disorder. The pathogenesis of MDD remained unclear, and it may be associated with exposure to different stressors. Most previous studies have focused on molecular changes in a single stress-induced depression model, which limited the identification of the pathogenesis of MDD. The depressive-like behaviors were induced by four well-validated stress models in rats, including chronic unpredictable mild stress, learned helplessness stress, chronic restraint stress and social defeat stress. We applied proteomic and metabolomic to investigate molecular changes in the hippocampus of those four models and revealed 529 proteins and 98 metabolites. Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis identified differentially regulated canonical pathways, and then we presented a schematic model that simulates AKT and MAPK signaling pathways network and their interactions and revealed the cascade reactions. Further, the western blot confirmed that p-AKT, p-ERK12, GluA1, p-MEK1, p-MEK2, p-P38, Syn1, and TrkB, which were changed in at least one depression model. Importantly, p-AKT, p-ERK12, p-MEK1 and p-P38 were identified as common alterations in four depression models. The molecular level changes caused by different stressors may be dramatically different, and even opposite, between four depression models. However, the different molecular alterations converge on a common AKT and MAPK molecular pathway. Further studies of these pathways could contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of depression, with the ultimate goal of helping to develop or select more effective treatment strategies for MDD.

Maternal fructose boosts the effects of a Western-type diet increasing SARS-COV-2 cell entry factors in male offspring

Fructose-rich beverages and foods consumption correlates with the epidemic rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Severity of COVID-19 has been related to these metabolic diseases. Fructose-rich foods could place people at an increased risk for severe COVID-19. We investigated whether maternal fructose intake in offspring affects hepatic and ileal gene expression of proteins that permit SARS-CoV2 entry to the cell. Carbohydrates were supplied to pregnant rats in drinking water. Adult and young male descendants subjected to water, liquid fructose alone or as a part of a Western diet, were studied. Maternal fructose reduced hepatic SARS-CoV2 entry factors expression in older offspring. On the contrary, maternal fructose boosted the Western diet-induced increase in viral entry factors expression in ileum of young descendants. Maternal fructose intake produced a fetal programming that increases hepatic viral protection and, in contrast, exacerbates fructose plus cholesterol-induced diminution in SARS-CoV2 protection in small intestine of progeny.

Parental overnutrition by carbohydrates in developmental origins of metabolic syndrome

interplay of genomic component and the exposome. Parental diet has been shown to affect offspring metabolic health via multiple epigenetic mechanisms. Excess carbohydrate intake is one of the driving forces of the obesity and metabolic syndrome pandemics. This review summarizes the evidence for the effects of maternal carbohydrate (fructose, sucrose, glucose) overnutrition on the modulation of metabolic syndrome components in the offspring. Despite substantial discrepancies in experimental design, common effects of maternal carbohydrate overnutrition include increased body weight and hepatic lipid content of the "programmed" offspring. However, the administration of sucrose to several rat models leads to apparently favorable metabolic outcomes. Moreover, there is evidence for the role of genomic background in modulating the metabolic programming effect in the form of nutri-epigenomic interaction. Comprehensive, robust studies are needed to resolve the temporal, sex-specific, genetic, epigenetic and nutritional aspects of parental overnutrition in the intergenerational and transgenerational pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.

Parental overnutrition by carbohydrates in developmental origins of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a prevalent disease resulting from an interplay of genomic component and the exposome. Parental diet has been shown to affect offspring metabolic health via multiple epigenetic mechanisms. Excess carbohydrate intake is one of the driving forces of the obesity and metabolic syndrome pandemics. This review summarizes the evidence for the effects of maternal carbohydrate (fructose, sucrose, glucose) overnutrition on the modulation of metabolic syndrome components in the offspring. Despite substantial discrepancies in experimental design, common effects of maternal carbohydrate overnutrition include increased body weight and hepatic lipid content of the "programmed" offspring. However, the administration of sucrose to several rat models leads to apparently favorable metabolic outcomes. Moreover, there is evidence for the role of genomic background in modulating the metabolic programming effect in the form of nutri-epigenomic interaction. Comprehensive, robust studies are needed to resolve the temporal, sex-specific, genetic, epigenetic and nutritional aspects of parental overnutrition in the intergenerational and transgenerational pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.

Pregnancy Is Enough to Provoke Deleterious Effects in Descendants of Fructose-Fed Mothers and Their Fetuses

The role of fructose in the global obesity and metabolic syndrome epidemic is widely recognized. However, its consumption is allowed during pregnancy. We have previously demonstrated that maternal fructose intake in rats induces detrimental effects in fetuses. However, these effects only appeared in adult descendants after a re-exposure to fructose. Pregnancy is a physiological state that leads to profound changes in metabolism and hormone response. Therefore, we wanted to establish if pregnancy in the progeny of fructose-fed mothers was also able to provoke an unhealthy situation. Pregnant rats from fructose-fed mothers (10% w/v) subjected (FF) or not (FC) to a fructose supplementation were studied and compared to pregnant control rats (CC). An OGTT was performed on the 20th day of gestation, and they were sacrificed on the 21st day. Plasma and tissues from mothers and fetuses were analyzed. Although FF mothers showed higher AUC insulin values after OGTT in comparison to FC and CC rats, ISI was lower and leptinemia was higher in FC and FF rats than in the CC group. Accordingly, lipid accretion was observed both in liver and placenta in the FC and FF groups. Interestingly, fetuses from FC and FF mothers also showed the same profile observed in their mothers on lipid accumulation, leptinemia, and ISI. Moreover, hepatic lipid peroxidation was even more augmented in fetuses from FC dams than those of FF mothers. Maternal fructose intake produces in female progeny changes that alter their own pregnancy, leading to deleterious effects in their fetuses.

The Effects of Exercise and Restriction of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages on Muscle Function and Autophagy Regulation in High-Fat High-Sucrose-Fed Obesity Mice

BACKGROUND

Autophagy maintains muscle mass and healthy skeletal muscles. Several recent studies have associated sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption with diseases. We investigated whether muscle dysfunction due to obesity could be restored by SSB restriction (SR) alone or in combination with exercise (EX) training.

METHODS

Obese mice were subjected to SR combined with treadmill EX. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, grip strength test, hanging time test, and body composition analysis were performed. Triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) serum concentrations and TG concentrations in quadriceps muscles were analyzed. Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction helped analyze autophagy-related protein and mRNA expression, respectively.

RESULTS

SR alone had no significant effect on fasting blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance, and muscle function. However, it had effect on serum TC, serum TG, and BCL2 interacting protein 3 expression. SR+EX improved glucose tolerance and muscle function and increased serum TC utilization than SR alone. SR+EX reduced P62 levels, increased glucose transporter type 4 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α protein expression, and improved grip strength relative to the high-fat and high-sucrose liquid (HFHS) group, and this was not observed in the HFHS+EX group.

CONCLUSION

SR induced mitophagy-related protein expression in quadriceps, without affecting muscle function. And, the combination of SR and EX activated mitophagy-related proteins and improved muscle function.

Sex differences in recovery from cognitive and metabolic impairments induced by supplementary sucrose in rats

Consumption of beverages containing around 10% sucrose contributes to worldwide obesity. Studies using rats can increase understanding of the consequences of such consumption. The present experiment aimed to compare male and female rats, first, in terms of cognitive and metabolic impairments produced by excessive intakes of 10% sucrose solution (Stage 1:8 weeks) and, second, with regard to recovery once access to sucrose ceased (Stage 2:4 weeks). All animals had unrestricted access to chow and water throughout. The primary cognitive outcome was performance on a place recognition task. The primary metabolic outcome was retroperitoneal fat pad mass/kg bodyweight at cull, with body weight and glucose tolerance as secondary outcomes. In a 3 × 2 between-subject factorial design the first factor was whether rats had: (1) unlimited access to a 10% sucrose solution and water throughout both stages (Suc-Suc); (2) were switched from sucrose in the 8-week Stage 1 to water only in the 4-week Stage 2 (Suc-Water); or (3) had no access to sucrose in either stage (Water-Water). The second factor was sex. A major metabolic outcome was that of persistent adiposity in both males and females in the Suc-Water condition. As for place recognition, females in the Suc-Suc condition showed greater long-term resistance than males to the impact of excessive sucrose on spatial memory impairment. Overall, few sex differences were found in secondary metabolic outcomes.

Comparable metabolic effects of isocaloric sucrose and glucose solutions in rats

Much of the global increase in sugar intake is attributable to rising consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Because people compensate poorly for liquid calories, SSB consumption increases total energy intake, raising the risk of harmful metabolic effects in addition to possible effects of sugars per se. Glucose and fructose, the constituent sugars in sucrose, can exert distinct effects on metabolism and also differ in their satiating properties, suggesting that compensation for the calories in these sugars may also vary. In light of claims that the fructose within sucrose is particularly harmful, the present study compared the effects of giving rats access to either a sucrose or an isoenergetic glucose solution. Adult male rats were fed standard chow and water supplemented with 95 ml of 10% glucose (Glucose group; n = 10), 9% sucrose solution (Sucrose group; n = 10) or water only (Control group; n = 10) daily for 7 weeks. Sugar-fed groups had higher total energy intakes than the Control group, but the extent of this incomplete compensation did not vary between Sucrose and Glucose groups. In a short-term compensation test, sugar groups were less sensitive to the effects of a sweet pre-meal, with no differences between the Glucose and Sucrose groups. Relative to water, both sugars reduced insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks on the diets and elevated fat mass at 7 weeks. Results suggest that sucrose and glucose induce comparable metabolic impairments and alter the homeostatic regulation of food intake even under conditions where daily access is capped.

Maternal High-Sucrose Diet Affects Phenotype Outcome in Adult Male Offspring: Role of Zbtb16

Overnutrition in pregnancy and lactation affects fetal and early postnatal development, which can result in metabolic disorders in adulthood. We tested a hypothesis that variation of the Zbtb16 gene, a significant energy metabolism regulator, modulates the effect of maternal high-sucrose diet (HSD) on metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of the offspring. We used the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) strain and a minimal congenic rat strain SHR-Zbtb16, carrying the Zbtb16 gene allele originating from the PD/Cub rat, a metabolic syndrome model. Sixteen-week-old SHR and SHR-Zbtb16 rat dams were fed either standard diet (control groups) or a high-sucrose diet (HSD, 70% calories as sucrose) during pregnancy and 4 weeks of lactation. In dams of both strains, we observed an HSD-induced increase of cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations in VLDL particles and a decrease of cholesterol and triacylglycerols content in medium to very small LDL particles. In male offspring, exposure to maternal HSD substantially increased brown fat weight in both strains, decreased triglycerides in LDL particles, and impaired glucose tolerance exclusively in SHR. The transcriptome assessment revealed networks of transcripts reflecting the shifts induced by maternal HSD with major nodes including mir-126, Hsd11b1 in the brown adipose tissue, Pcsk9, Nr0b2 in the liver and Hsd11b1, Slc2a4 in white adipose tissue. In summary, maternal HSD feeding during pregnancy and lactation affected brown fat deposition and lipid metabolism in adult male offspring and induced major transcriptome shifts in liver, white, and brown adipose tissues. The Zbtb16 variation present in the SHR-Zbtb16 led to several strain-specific effects of the maternal HSD, particularly the transcriptomic profile shifts of the adult male offspring.

Metabolic and behavioural effects in offspring exposed to maternal sucrose consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from rodent models

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) during pregnancy has been associated with childhood obesity. Research in which rodent dams have been given high-fat/high-sugar diets has consistently found metabolic alterations in their offspring. However, what remains unclear is the potential impact on the developing fetus of giving sugar in isolation at concentrations similar to SSBs to the mothers. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (Protocol No: 127115 on Prospero) to identify potential relationships between maternal sucrose consumption and metabolic outcomes in offspring of rodent (rat or mouse) models. We analysed studies that provided rodent mothers dams with access to sucrose solutions (8-20% w/v) prior to conception, during pregnancy and/or lactation and that reported offspring outcomes of body weight (BW), body composition and glycaemic control. Following a systematic search of four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus) performed on 15 January 2019, maternal and offspring data from 15 papers were identified for inclusion. Only rat studies were identified. Meta-analyses were performed on standardised mean differences for maternal and offspring BW and fasting glucose levels, with subgroup analyses of strain, sucrose concentration, exposure period and sex of offspring. A bias towards the inclusion of only data from male offspring was identified and this limited interpretation of potential sexually dimorphic outcomes. Maternal sucrose exposure was associated with an increased risk of obesity and poor glucose disposal in adult and aged offspring.

Sugar Addiction: From Evolution to Revolution

The obesity epidemic has been widely publicized in the media worldwide. Investigators at all levels have been looking for factors that have contributed to the development of this epidemic. Two major theories have been proposed: (1) sedentary lifestyle and (2) variety and ease of inexpensive palatable foods. In the present review, we analyze how nutrients like sugar that are often used to make foods more appealing could also lead to habituation and even in some cases addiction thereby uniquely contributing to the obesity epidemic. We review the evolutionary aspects of feeding and how they have shaped the human brain to function in "survival mode" signaling to "eat as much as you can while you can." This leads to our present understanding of how the dopaminergic system is involved in reward and its functions in hedonistic rewards, like eating of highly palatable foods, and drug addiction. We also review how other neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, interact in the satiation processes to counteract the dopamine system. Lastly, we analyze the important question of whether there is sufficient empirical evidence of sugar addiction, discussed within the broader context of food addiction.

Source of dietary sucrose influences development of leptin resistance in male and female rats

Male rats offered 30% sucrose solution in addition to chow develop leptin resistance without an increase in energy intake or body fat. This study tested whether the leptin resistance was dependent on the physical form of the sucrose. Sprague-Dawley rats were offered a sucrose-free (NS) diet, a 66.6% of energy as sucrose (HS) diet, or the NS diet + 30% sucrose solution (LS). Sucrose intake of LS rats equaled that of HS rats, but total carbohydrate intake exceeded that of HS rats. After 33 days, male and female LS rats were resistant to the inhibitory effect of peripherally administered leptin on food intake. LS rats drank small, frequent meals of sucrose during light and dark periods, whereas HS rats consumed more meals during the dark than the light period and remained responsive to leptin. Diet did not affect daily energy intake or insulin sensitivity. There was a small increase in body fat in the female rats. Leptin sensitivity was restored within 5 days of withdrawal from sucrose in male LS rats. This rapid reversal suggested that leptin resistance was associated with the metabolic impact of drinking sucrose. An experiment was carried out to test whether activity of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway and glycation of leptin signaling proteins were increased in LS rats, but the results were equivocal. A final experiment determined that female LS rats were leptin-resistant within 18 days of access to sucrose solution and that the small, but significant, increase in body fat was associated with increased adipocyte glucose utilization and insulin responsiveness, which may have been secondary to adipocyte leptin resistance.

High-sucrose-induced maternal obesity disrupts ovarian function and decreases fertility in Drosophila melanogaster

As the obesity epidemic worsens, the prevalence of maternal obesity is expected to rise. Both high-fat and high-sucrose diets are known to promote maternal obesity and several studies have elucidated the molecular influence of high-fat feeding on female reproduction. However, to date, the molecular impact of a high-sucrose diet on maternal obesity remains to be investigated. Using our previously reported Drosophila high-sucrose maternal obesity model, we sought to determine how excess dietary sucrose impacted the ovary. High-sucrose diet (HSD) fed adult females developed systemic insulin resistance and exhibited an ovarian phenotype characterized by excess accumulation of lipids and cholesterol in the ovary, decreased ovary size, and impaired egg maturation. We also observed decreased expression of antioxidant genes and increased protein carbonylation in the ovaries of HSD females. HSD females laid fewer eggs; however, the overall survival of offspring was unchanged relative to lean control females. Ovaries of HSD females had increased mitochondrial DNA copy number and decreased expression of key mitochondrial regulators, suggestive of an ineffective compensatory response to mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial alterations were also observed in male offspring of obese females. This study demonstrates that high-sucrose-induced maternal obesity promotes insulin resistance, while disrupting ovarian metabolism and function.

Impact of perinatal exposure to sucrose or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS-55) on adiposity and hepatic lipid composition in rat offspring

KEY POINTS

Fructose-containing sugars, including sucrose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), have been implicated in the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Few studies have evaluated the impact of perinatal exposure to these sugars on metabolic and physiological outcomes in the offspring. Using a rat model, offspring exposed to a maternal sucrose or HFCS diet during the prenatal and/or suckling periods were found to have altered adiposity and liver fat content and composition at weaning. Plasma levels of free fatty acids remained elevated in young adulthood, but consumption of a control diet following weaning appeared to ameliorate most other effects of perinatal exposure to a maternal high-sugar diet. Guidelines for maternal nutrition should advise limiting consumption of fructose-containing sugars, and it is particularly important that these recommendations include maternal nutrition during lactation.

ABSTRACT

Perinatal exposure to excess maternal intake of added sugars, including fructose and sucrose, is associated with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adult life. However, it is unknown to what extent the type of sugar and the timing of exposure affect these outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of exposure to maternal consumption of a 10% (w/v) beverage containing sucrose or high fructose corn syrup-55 (HFCS-55) during the prenatal and/or suckling periods on offspring at 3 and 12 weeks, utilising a cross-fostering approach in a rodent model. Perinatal sucrose exposure decreased plasma glucose concentrations in offspring at 3 weeks, but did not alter glucose tolerance. Increased adiposity was observed in 3-week-old offspring exposed to sucrose or HFCS-55 during suckling, with increased hepatic fat content in HFCS-55-exposed offspring. In terms of specific fatty acids, hepatic monounsaturated (omega-7 and -9) fatty acid content was elevated at weaning, and was most pronounced in sucrose offspring exposed during both the prenatal and suckling periods, and HFCS-55 offspring exposed during suckling only. By 12 weeks, the effects on adiposity and hepatic lipid composition were largely normalised. However, exposure to either sucrose or HFCS-55 during the prenatal period only was associated with elevated plasma free fatty acids at weaning, and this effect persisted until 12 weeks. This study suggests that the type of sugar and the timing of exposure (prenatal or suckling periods) are both important for determining the impact on metabolic health outcomes in the offspring.

Fructose during pregnancy provokes fetal oxidative stress: The key role of the placental heme oxygenase-1

SCOPE

One of the features of metabolic syndrome caused by liquid fructose intake is an impairment of redox status. We have investigated whether maternal fructose ingestion modifies the redox status in pregnant rats and their fetuses.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Fructose (10% wt/vol) in the drinking water of rats throughout gestation, leads to maternal hepatic oxidative stress. However, this change was also observed in glucose-fed rats and, in fact, both carbohydrates produced a decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity. Surprisingly, mothers fed carbohydrates displayed low plasma lipid oxidation. In contrast, fetuses from fructose-fed mothers showed elevated levels of plasma lipoperoxides versus fetuses from control or glucose-fed mothers. Interestingly, a clearly augmented oxidative stress was observed in placenta of fructose-fed mothers, accompanied by a lower expression of the transcription factor Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and its target gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a potent antioxidant molecule. Moreover, histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) that has been proposed to upregulate HO-1 expression by stabilizing Nrf2, exhibited a diminished expression in placenta of fructose-supplemented mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal fructose intake provoked an imbalanced redox status in placenta and a clear diminution of HO-1 expression, which could be responsible for the augmented oxidative stress found in their fetuses.

Liquid fructose in pregnancy exacerbates fructose-induced dyslipidemia in adult female offspring

Fructose intake from added sugars correlates with the epidemic rise in metabolic syndrome and related events. Nevertheless, consumption of beverages sweetened with fructose is not regulated in gestation. Previously, we found that maternal fructose intake produces in the progeny, when fetuses, impaired leptin signaling and hepatic steatosis and then impaired insulin signaling and hypoadiponectinemia in adult male rats. Interestingly, adult females from fructose-fed mothers did not exhibit any of these disturbances. However, we think that, actually, these animals keep a programmed phenotype hidden. Fed 240-day-old female progeny from control, fructose- and glucose-fed mothers were subjected for 3weeks to a fructose supplementation period (10% wt/vol in drinking water). Fructose intake provoked elevations in insulinemia and adiponectinemia in the female progeny independently of their maternal diet. In accordance, the hepatic mRNA levels of several insulin-responsive genes were similarly affected in the progeny after fructose intake. Interestingly, adult progeny of fructose-fed mothers displayed, in response to the fructose feeding, augmented plasma triglyceride and NEFA levels and hepatic steatosis versus the other two groups. In agreement, the expression and activity for carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP), a lipogenic transcription factor, were higher after the fructose period in female descendants from fructose-fed mothers than in the other groups. Furthermore, liver fructokinase expression that has been indicated as one of those responsible for the deleterious effects of fructose ingestion was preferentially augmented in that group. Maternal fructose intake does influence the adult female offspring's response to liquid fructose and so exacerbates fructose-induced dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis.