Objective: Advanced glycation end products and their receptor - RAGE - in the adipose tissues contribute to metabolic derangements in fructose-fed rats. However, it remains unclear whether fructose could cause endothelial cell damage via the activation of AGE-RAGE.
Methods: Intracellular advanced glycation end products were evaluated by dot blot analysis. Fructose-derived advanced glycation end products (Fruc-AGEs) were prepared by incubating bovine serum albumin with fructose for 8 weeks. Reactive oxygen species generation was measured using a fluorescent probe. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 gene expression was analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Binding affinities of Fruc-AGEs to DNA-aptamer raised against Fruc-AGEs (Fruc-AGE-aptamer) or RAGE were measured with a quartz crystal microbalance.
Results: Fructose increased the advanced glycation end product-specific fluorescence intensity in assay medium, while it stimulated intracellular formation of advanced glycation end products in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, 0.3 mM fructose for 4 days significantly increased reactive oxygen species generation and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Fruc-AGE-aptamer, but not Control-aptamer, bound to Fruc-AGEs with Kd value of 5.60 × 10-6 M and dose-dependently inhibited the binding of Fruc-AGEs to RAGE. Moreover, Fruc-AGE-aptamer prevented the Fruc-AGE- and fructose-induced reactive oxygen species generation and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
Conclusion: This study suggests that fructose may elicit endothelial cell damage partly via the activation of AGE-RAGE axis.
Keywords: Advanced glycation end products; RAGE; cardiovascular disease; endothelial cells; fructose.