The Royal National Academy of
Pharmacy (RANF) has presented the 'RANF-GSK
Pharmaceutical Innovation Award' to the Research Group 'Nutrigenomics and fetal programming' of
the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the School of Pharmacy for
their research study titled: 'Nutrigenomic
effects of fructose alone or associated with cholesterol or salt depending on
thyroid hormones. Influence of maternal intake.'
According to the results obtained by the research group, formed by Carla Marcuccini, Elena Fauste, Madelín Pérez,
Cristina Donis, Mª Isabel Panadero, Paola
Otero, and Carlos Bocos,
maternal fructose consumption affects the metabolism of thyroid hormones in
offspring as a response to a fructose diet and a Western diet. These
nutrigenomic effects modify the expression of receptors and transporters
without altering thyroid hormone levels.
Nutrigenomic
Effects of Fructose. Influence of Maternal Intake
High dietary intakes of sugars promote the development of metabolic
syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. These effects are not limited
solely to postnatal life. Through fetal programming mechanisms, the mother's
diet influences the healthy development of her offspring. In turn, the
metabolism of thyroid hormones, involved in energy metabolism and body
homeostasis, is affected by nutrition. T4 circulates in the blood and enters
the cell via the transporter. Once inside the nucleus, it binds to its specific
receptor THR (thyroid hormone receptor), which acts as a transcription factor
regulating the expression of its target genes.
To determine if fructose consumption affects the metabolism of thyroid
hormones, we determined plasma levels of T4, the gene expression of its
transporters, THR, and its target genes in both the liver and ileum in rats
descended from mothers who drank water during gestation (control) or liquid
fructose. The offspring were then treated with water, fructose or a Western
diet.
The results show that plasma levels of free T4 do not undergo any
changes after consumption of the different diets. However, hepatic expression
of the thyroid hormone receptor alpha decreased after fructose consumption,
without showing changes after consuming the Western diet. The expression
profiles of the transporter and target gene were similar to that of the receptor.
While the search for drugs to treat fatty liver and metabolic syndrome
is focusing on the beta form of thyroid hormone receptors, being the
predominant form in the liver, considering the results of this study, a
candidate for consideration as a new therapeutic target would also be the alpha
isoform.