Approaches to nutritional research using organoids; fructose treatment induces epigenetic changes in liver organoids.

Nutritional researches have successfully used animal models to gain new insights into nutrient action. However, comprehensive descriptions of their molecular mechanisms of action remain elusive as appropriate in vitro evaluation systems are lacking. Organoid models can mimic physiological structures and reproduce in vivo functions, making them increasingly utilized in biomedical research for a better understand physiological and pathological phenomena.

Impact of maternal fructose intake on liver stem/progenitor cells in offspring: Insights into developmental origins of health and disease.

Aims: The developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD) theory postulates that poor nutrition during fetal life increases the risk of disease later in life. Excessive fructose intake has been associated with obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and maternal fructose intake during pregnancy has been shown to affect offspring health. In this study, we investigated the effects of high maternal fructose intake on the liver stem/progenitor cells of offspring.

High-fructose corn syrup intake increases hepatic mitochondrial DNA copy number and methylation in adolescent rats.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is consumed worldwide. However, it has been demonstrated that an increased intake of sweetened beverages, including those sweetened using fructose, is associated with the development of childhood obesity. It is unknown why the negative effects of fructose are stronger in young persons than in elderly individuals.

Effects of High-Fructose Corn Syrup Intake on Glucocorticoid Metabolism in Rats During Childhood, Adolescence and Adulthood.

The consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been increasing in recent decades, especially among children. Some reports suggest that children and adolescents are more sensitive to the adverse effects of fructose intake than adults. However, the underlying mechanism of the difference in vulnerability between adolescence and adulthood have not yet been elucidated.

Differential effects of excess high-fructose corn syrup on the DNA methylation of hippocampal neurotrophic factor in childhood and adolescence.

Consumption of fructose-containing beverages such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is increasing, raising concerns about the negative effects of excessive fructose intake. A recent report indicated that excess HFCS intake impairs hippocampal function. In this study, we focused on neurotrophic factors (NFs) in the hippocampus from the viewpoint of epigenetics to clarify the adverse effects of fructose.

High-fructose corn syrup intake has stronger effects on the transcription level of hepatic lipid metabolism-related genes, via DNA methylation modification, in childhood and adolescence than in other generations.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze differences in sensitivity to hepatic lipid metabolism at different ages, through DNA methylation, using an experimental rat model of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) intake.

Main Methods: The experimental was divided into three periods: childhood and adolescence (postnatal day (PD) 21-60), young adulthood (PD61-100), and adulthood (PD101-140). Rats in the different age groups were assigned to receive either water (C: control group) or 20% HFCS solution (H: HFCS-fed group).