Excessive fructose intake inhibits skeletal development in adolescent rats via gut microbiota and energy metabolism

Abstract

Excessive fructose intake from desserts and beverages may influence bone development among adolescents. The gut microbiota (GM) and energy metabolism play important roles in bone development. In this study, 40 female adolescent rats were randomly assigned to the control group, the fructose group with two concentrations, and the glucose group as the positive control group. After 10 weeks, serum glucose and lipids were detected by means of an automatic analyzer, and the bone microstructure was analyzed by Micro-CT. Then, the GM was determined via 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, and energy metabolism was detected by measuring serum carbohydrate metabolites. At last, bone metabolism markers were measured via ELISA kits. The results showed that excessive fructose intake could increase body weight and influence the glucolipid metabolism of female adolescent rats. Meanwhile, the bone microstructures were impaired with excessive fructose intake. Mechanistically, excessive fructose intake shifted the GM of rats with the decrease of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and increase of Allobaculum, Lachnospiraceae. Energy metabolism analysis suggested that most metabolites of fructose did not enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle to provide energy for the body’s development. Furthermore, serum bone metabolism markers showed that excessive fructose intake could decrease both bone formation and resorption. Our results suggested that excessive fructose intake could inhibit skeletal development in adolescents. One potential mechanism might be that it affected the intestinal microbiota homeostasis in the juvenile body, thus changing the energy metabolism level, and ultimately affecting the bone metabolic balance.

Fecal metabolomics combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze the effect of Jiaotai pill intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats

“…In our study, the dominant microorganisms in the rat gut mainly included Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The stability of these flora plays an important role in immune regulation, energy metabolism, and substance metabolism, which are essential factors for the maintenance of human health and a mirror reflecting the internal environment of the organism ( 19 ). Compared to the control group, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes in the gut microbiota was increased and the relative abundance of Firmicutes was decreased in the T2DM group.…”

Effect of high-fructose consumption in pregnancy on the bone growth of offspring rats

“…Fructose intake can also affect individual bone development. Our previous study showed that a group administered 20% fructose had a lower bone volumetric fraction (BV/TV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) than the control group, which suggested that excessive fructose intake may inhibit bone growth and reduce trabecular bone density ( 6 ). Other research has indicated that 30% HFCS in water could cause damage to the trabecular bone with decreases in the trabecular number (Tb.N) and the trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), as well as an increase in the bone volumetric fraction (Tb.Sp) ( 7 ).…”