Excessive sucrose exacerbates high fat diet-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis promoting osteoarthritis in mice model

• Published in: The Journal of nutritional biochemistry 2023-02, Vol.112, p.109223-109223, Article 109223
• Main Authors: Min, Yunhui, Ahn, Dohyun, Truong, Thi My Tien, Kim, Mangeun, Heo, Yunji, Jee, Youngheun, Son, Young-Ok, Kang, Inhae
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Fibrosis; high-fat; high-sucrose; inflammation; Inflammation - metabolism; Liver - metabolism; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity - metabolism; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - complications; Osteoarthritis - metabolism; Sucrose - adverse effects; Sucrose - metabolism
• ISSN: 0955-2863; 1873-4847
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109223

Osteoarthritis (OA) is marked by chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and cartilage destruction. High fat diet causes obesity and increases the risk of knee OA-development. However, the impact of high dietary sugar intake on OA pathogenesis has not been elucidated yet. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a high-fat and high-sucrose (HF+HS) diet in experimental OA mouse models. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a standard chow (n=6), high-fat (HF) (n=5), or HF+HS (n=7) diets for 12 weeks; thereafter, the mice underwent surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) and received the same experimental diets for an additional 8 weeks. The pathogenesis of knee OA, obesogenic parameters, and inflammation levels in the liver and adipose tissue were investigated. HF+HS diet induced severe cartilage erosion with osteophyte development and subchondral bone plate thickening, indicating that HF+HS diet exacerbated OA. Despite marginal differences in metabolic parameters, hepatic free cholesterol accumulation increased in mice with DMM-induced OA fed on HF+HS diet than in those fed HF diet. Notably, the levels of inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis markers were greater in the livers of mice with DMM-induced OA, fed on HF+HS diet than those in the control group. However, adipose tissue remodeling was not affected by the HF+HS diet. These findings indicate that excess sucrose intake along with a HF diet triggers hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, thereby, contributing to OA pathogenesis.