Quercetin as a prophylactic against adverse health outcomes associated with high dietary fructose post-weaning in Sprague Dawley rats
Date
2020
Authors
Tladi, Ramatsobane Rozette
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Abstract
The global increase in fructose consumption has increased the prevalence of
metabolic syndrome (MetS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Events
affecting metabolism in early life have long-lasting implications on health outcomes
later in life. Thus, the developmentally plastic early life stages are potential targets for
interventions with long term health benefits. The prophylactic potential of the
phytochemical quercetin administered during the early post-weaning period, on the
development of metabolic derangements and NAFLD in Sprague Dawley rats, fed a
high fructose diet for eight weeks post-weaning was investigated. Rats (N = 64; 21
days old) were randomly divided into four treatment groups n = 16 (8 males and 8
females): Group 1-standard rat chow (SRC), tap water, plain gelatine cubes; Group
2- SRC, tap water, gelatine cubes containing quercetin (100 mg/kg body mass);
Group 3- SRC, 20 % fructose drinking solution (FS), plain gelatine cubes; Group 4-
SRC, 20 % FS, gelatine cubes containing quercetin (100 mg/kg body mass). Rats
received treatments for two weeks, after which they continued on their respective
diets without gelatine cubes for six weeks. Tissue and blood samples were then
collected and analysed for fructose induced metabolic derangements. Male rats fed
fructose had significantly shorter and lighter tibia and femora compared to those in
the control group (p < 0.05). Although no statistically significant differences (p>0.05)
in the overall hepatic steatosis scores were observed between groups in male and
female rats, a greater percentage of male rats fed a high fructose diet presented with
steatosis. There was also an increased percentage of female rats with steatosis after
being fed quercetin alone. Furthermore, there were no significant changes in liver
function markers, adiposity, circulating metabolites, lipoprotein profile and clinical
markers of general health (p > 0.05). Despite the experimental model not resulting in
overt metabolic dysfunction, the sexually dimorphic susceptibility to the development
of hepatic steatosis and the impact of early post-weaning quercetin, should be further
explored
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine to the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020