Potential effect of maternal dietary sucrose or fructose syrup on CD36, leptin, and ghrelin-mediated fetal programming of obesity

Abstract

The influence of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup – free fructose) and sucrose (bound fructose) on fetal appetite signals is unknown. This study aimed to determine the effects of HFCS or sucrose on the peptide-mediated appetite regulation in fetal programming of obesity. Sprague Dawley female rats were administered feed and plain water (control) or water containing maltodextrin (vehicle), sucrose, fructose, or HFCS (20%, w/v) for 12 weeks before mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation (n_dams = 31; n_pups = 207). Maternal chow-feed consumption in the HFCS and sucrose groups and sugar-added drink consumption in the HFCS group were higher compared to the vehicle and control groups (P < 0.05). The total body fat accumulated in sucrose, fructose, and HFCS groups in dams and pups was higher than those in the vehicle and control groups (P < 0.05). The HFCS groups showed lower plasma leptin levels and higher ghrelin levels. Soluble CD36 levels in plasma and tongue samples were high in HFCS groups of dams and pups (P < 0.05). Rather than bound fructose, the free fructose from the maternal diet contributes to the programming of obesity through the disruption of leptin, ghrelin, and CD36 expression involved in appetite regulation.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• : HFCS
• Sucrose
• Leptin
• Ghrelin
• CD36
• Fetal programming
• Appetite

Acknowledgments

We thank Funda Tamer and Elif Uluğ for assistance during the laboratory analysis, and Armağan Aytug Yürük for assistance with the initiation inauguration of the study.

Disclaimer statements

Contributions R.N.U. designed the study, conducted the data collection and analysis, drafted and finalized the manuscript. B.K. carried out data collection and analysis, B.K. helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding This work was supported by the Hacettepe University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit [Project Number: THD-2015-5528], Ankara, Turkey.

Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing interest. Preliminary data of the study were presented as oral/poster presentations at the International Conference on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference, and the abstracts were published in the conference proceedings book in April 2017.

Ethics approval All animals received ethical and human care within the provisions of the “National Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock Regulations on the Protection and Welfare of Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes” and Institutional Guidelines. Experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey (IRB Number: 2014/25-2).

ORCID

Reyhan Nergiz-Unal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3143-7710