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Effects of chronic sugar consumption on lipid accumulation and autophagy in the skeletal muscle

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Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, the increasing consumption of soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose has caused a rise in fructose intake, which has been related to the epidemic of metabolic diseases. As fructose and glucose intake varies in parallel, it is still unclear what the effects of the increased consumption of the two single sugars are. In the present study, the impact of chronic consumption of glucose or fructose on skeletal muscle of healthy mice was investigated.

Methods

C57BL/6J male mice received water (C), 15 % fructose (ChF) or 15 % glucose (ChG) to drink for up to 7 months. Lipid metabolism and markers of inflammation and autophagy were assessed in gastrocnemius muscle.

Results

Increased body weight and gastrocnemius muscle mass, as well as circulating glucose, insulin, and lipid plasma levels were observed in sugar-drinking mice. Although triglycerides increased in the gastrocnemius muscle of both ChF and ChG mice (+32 and +26 %, vs C, respectively), intramyocellular lipids accumulated to a significantly greater extent in ChF than in ChG animals (ChF +10 % vs ChG). Such perturbations were associated with increased muscle interleukin-6 levels (threefold of C) and with the activation of autophagy, as demonstrated by the overexpression of LC3B-II (ChF, threefold and ChG, twofold of C) and beclin-1 (ChF, sevenfold and ChG, tenfold of C).

Conclusions

The present results suggest that intramyocellular lipids and the pro-inflammatory signaling could contribute to the onset of insulin resistance and lead to the induction of autophagy, which could be an adaptive response to lipotoxicity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC, IG9153), Milano, Italy; University of Turin (ex-60 % funds), Italy; CRT Foundation (2010.1954), Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Turin, Italy

    Daniela De Stefanis, Raffaella Mastrocola, Debora Nigro, Paola Costelli & Manuela Aragno

  2. Interuniversitary Institute of Myology, Chieti, Italy

    Paola Costelli

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  1. Daniela De Stefanis
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  2. Raffaella Mastrocola
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  3. Debora Nigro
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Correspondence to Raffaella Mastrocola.

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De Stefanis, D., Mastrocola, R., Nigro, D. et al. Effects of chronic sugar consumption on lipid accumulation and autophagy in the skeletal muscle. Eur J Nutr 56, 363–373 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1086-8

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