Reversal of high dietary fructose-induced PPARalpha suppression by oral administration of lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase inhibitors.

High fructose feeding causes diet-induced alterations of lipid metabolism and decreased insulin sensitivity, hallmark of which is a rapid and profound hypertriglyceridemia. One of the mechanisms that contribute to serum hypertriglyceridemia in this model is suppression of hepatic PPARalpha. HMG-CoA inhibitors, which reduce serum triglycerides in these animals, also elevate/restore hepatic PPARalpha. Previously we demonstrated that two known lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase inhibitors reversed diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia in this model and that reversal of certain inflammatory markers in the liver correlated with the metabolic benefit. In this paper we extended these studies by examining the impact of these compounds on expression of PPARalpha, both at the level of transcription and expression. Our data show that diet-induced suppression of hepaic PPARalpha is reversed upon treatment with lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase compounds. We then tested one of these compounds, BW-755c, over a range of doses from 10 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg to establish a dose-response relationship with the reduction of serum hypertriglyceridemia in this model. These experiments support the concept of using anti-inflammatory medications as one method to correct metabolic dysfunction.

High dietary fructose induces a hepatic stress response resulting in cholesterol and lipid dysregulation.

High-fructose feeding causes diet-induced alterations of lipid metabolism and decreased insulin sensitivity with alterations of hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase and hepatic very low-density lipoprotein secretion. Inflammatory cytokines also induce dramatic changes in lipid metabolism, particularly in serum triglycerides via increased hepatic secretion and/or delayed clearance of very low-density lipoprotein. The aim of this study was to determine whether the mechanism of lipid dysregulation in the high-fructose diet is induced by stress response pathways. Animals were fed a high-fructose diet for 14 d to establish hypertriglyceridemia and then were treated with lipoxygenase inhibitors for 4 d concurrent with the diet. At the end of drug treatment, the animals were divided into two groups and treated with lipopolysaccharide or a vehicle. Serum samples were taken pretreatment and posttreatment, and liver tissue was harvested at the end of study. Serum samples were tested for metabolic parameters, and the tissue samples were tested for metabolic and stress pathway responses. Our results show that fructose-fed rats have changes in the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway with correspondingly elevated activator protein-1 activity, consistent with an inflammatory response. Treatment with lipoxygenase inhibitors reversed the hypertriglyceridemia and also reduced activator protein-1 activation, suggesting that the basis for lipid dysregulation in this model is due to activation of inflammatory pathways in the liver.