Editor-in-Chief
Hatice Kübra Elçioğlu
Vice Editors
Levent Kabasakal
Esra Tatar
Online ISSN
2630-6344
Publisher
Marmara University
Frequency
Bimonthly (Six issues / year)
Abbreviation
J.Res.Pharm.
Former Name
Marmara Pharmaceutical Journal
Journal of Research in Pharmacy
2023 , Vol 27 , Issue 2
The possible mechanisms of high-fructose diet-induced pancreatic disturbances
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
DOI :
10.29228/jrp.357
Excess fructose consumption in the regular human diet causes several health problems. The main source
of dietary fructose is sugar-sweetened beverages, which are especially consumed by children and teenagers. Highfructose
intake is one of the major responsible factors of the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and type 2
diabetes worldwide. The dietary high-fructose-induced metabolic syndrome was evidenced by hyperglycemia,
hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, fatty liver disease, central adiposity, and inflammation. Molecular
findings indicated that there was a suppression of insulin signaling and activation of oxidative stress in different tissues
including the liver, blood vessels, adipose tissue, and kidney in the excess intake of fructose. However, there is a limited
mechanistic study on the pancreatic disturbances induced by dietary high-fructose. The hyperglycemic condition in the
consumption of high-fructose may lead to morphologic and pathological changes to increase the capacity of insulin
secretion in the pancreas. High-fructose can activate the mitogenic and apoptotic pathways, thus probably inducing
hyperplasia in β-cells. The overactivation of β-cells can trigger oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress as well as
inflammation in the pancreas. In conclusion, high-fructose consumption may cause pancreatic disturbance possibly
through stimulation of cellular oxidative stress, inflammation, mitogenesis, and apoptosis. Pancreas is one of the first
organs affected by metabolic abnormalities, therefore, elucidation of potential mechanisms underlying high-fructose
diet-induced pancreatic pathologies would be valuable in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome as
well as type 2 diabetes.
Keywords :
Dietary fructose; pancreas; hyperglycemia; cellular stress; inflammation