scholarly journals Fructose Consumption and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Promotion

Livers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-262
Author(s):  
Lisette Chávez-Rodríguez ◽  
Alejandro Escobedo-Calvario ◽  
Soraya Salas-Silva ◽  
Roxana U. Miranda-Labra ◽  
Leticia Bucio ◽  
...  

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 85% of primary liver cancer, the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Its incidence has been increasing in both men and women. In Western countries, high-calorie diets, mainly rich in carbohydrates such as fructose, represent a significant concern due to their repercussions on the population’s health. A high-fructose diet is related to the development of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), formerly named Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and the progression of HCC as it potentiates the lipogenic pathway and the accumulation of lipids. However, fructose metabolism seems to be different between the stages of the disease, carrying out a metabolic reprogramming to favor the proliferation, inflammation, and metastatic properties of cancer cells in HCC. This review focuses on a better understanding of fructose metabolism in both scenarios: MAFLD and HCC.

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Benjamin Buchard ◽  
Camille Teilhet ◽  
Natali Abeywickrama Samarakoon ◽  
Sylvie Massoulier ◽  
Juliette Joubert-Zakeyh ◽  
...  

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is considered as the forthcoming predominant cause for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NAFLD-HCC may rise in non-cirrhotic livers in 40 to 50% of patients. The aim of this study was to identify different metabolic pathways of HCC according to fibrosis level (F0F1 vs. F3F4). A non-targeted metabolomics strategy was applied. We analyzed 52 pairs of human HCC and adjacent non-tumoral tissues which included 26 HCC developed in severe fibrosis or cirrhosis (F3F4) and 26 in no or mild fibrosis (F0F1). Tissue extracts were analyzed using 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. An optimization evolutionary method based on genetic algorithm was used to identify discriminant metabolites. We identified 34 metabolites differentiating the two groups of NAFLD-HCC according to fibrosis level, allowing us to propose two metabolomics phenotypes of NAFLD-HCC. We showed that HCC-F0F1 mainly overexpressed choline derivatives and glutamine, whereas HCC-F3F4 were characterized by a decreased content of monounsaturated fatty acids (FA), an increase of saturated FA and an accumulation of branched amino acids. Comparing HCC-F0F1 and HCC-F3F4, differential expression levels of glucose, choline derivatives and phosphoethanolamine, monounsaturated FA, triacylglycerides were identified as specific signatures. Our metabolomics analysis of HCC tissues revealed for the first time two phenotypes of HCC developed in NAFLD according to fibrosis level. This study highlighted the impact of the underlying liver disease on metabolic reprogramming of the tumor.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 790
Author(s):  
Monica Lupsor-Platon ◽  
Teodora Serban ◽  
Alexandra Iulia Silion ◽  
George Razvan Tirpe ◽  
Alexandru Tirpe ◽  
...  

Global statistics show an increasing percentage of patients that develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), even in the absence of cirrhosis. In the present review, we analyzed the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography (US) in the non-invasive evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC, as well as possibilities of optimizing US diagnosis with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) assistance. To date, US is the first-line examination recommended in the screening of patients with clinical suspicion of NAFLD, as it is readily available and leads to a better disease-specific surveillance. However, the conventional US presents limitations that significantly hamper its applicability in quantifying NAFLD and accurately characterizing a given focal liver lesion (FLL). Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) are an essential add-on to the conventional B-mode US and to the Doppler US that further empower this method, allowing the evaluation of the enhancement properties and the vascular architecture of FLLs, in comparison to the background parenchyma. The current paper also explores the new universe of AI and the various implications of deep learning algorithms in the evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC through US methods, concluding that it could potentially be a game changer for patient care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaj H. Schmidt ◽  
Pia Svendsen ◽  
Julián Albarrán-Juárez ◽  
Søren K. Moestrup ◽  
Jacob Fog Bentzon

AbstractNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly prevalent condition that has been linked to high-fructose corn syrup consumption with induction of hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) as the suggested central mechanism. Feeding diets very high in fructose (> 60%) rapidly induce several features of NAFLD in rodents, but similar diets have not yet been applied in larger animals, such as pigs. With the aim to develop a large animal NAFLD model, we analysed the effects of feeding a high-fructose (HF, 60% w/w) diet for four weeks to castrated male Danish Landrace-York-Duroc pigs. HF feeding upregulated expression of hepatic DNL proteins, but levels were low compared with adipose tissue. No steatosis or hepatocellular ballooning was seen on histopathological examination, and plasma levels of transaminases were similar between groups. Inflammatory infiltrates and the amount of connective tissue was slightly elevated in liver sections from fructose-fed pigs, which was corroborated by up-regulation of macrophage marker expression in liver homogenates. Supported by RNA-profiling, quantitative protein analysis, histopathological examination, and biochemistry, our data suggest that pigs, contrary to rodents and humans, are protected against fructose-induced steatosis by relying on adipose tissue rather than liver for DNL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
Nilay D. Solanki ◽  
Kirti Vadi ◽  
Sandip Patel

Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the chronic liver diseases. Ficus racemosa has been used for many years in the Ayurvedic medicine system and is closely related with the management of metabolic conditions. The study investigated alleviating effects of methanolic extract of F. racemosa (FRM) bark on high-fat-high-fructose (HFHF) diet -induced NAFLD. Materials and Methods: HFHF-based model was developed for a period of 10 weeks. In treatment groups, FRM (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg) and atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) were administered for 6 weeks after initiating HFHF diet and continued for another 4 weeks. Liver functions test, lipid profile, serum leptin, and antioxidant parameters and histopathology were evaluated. Results: Elevated liver enzymes, lipid markers, and leptin were observed, with significant reduction in antioxidants in disease control rats. FRM treatment significantly improved serum aminotransferase activities, lipid profile, and oxidative changes and brought back to normal. Liver histopathology showed the fatty modifications induced by the HFHF diet, and reduction in fatty changes was observed due to FRM. Significant decline in serum leptin was observed with high-dose FRM. Conclusion: FRM showed positive effects in the reversal of NAFLD and different polyphenolic compounds in the plant were responsible for the proven action.


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