Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY, cilt.193, ss.1-11, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Excessive consumption of fructose-sweetened foods and beverages is a growing concern worldwide. Studies have
demonstrated that fructose consumption before and during pregnancy can result in adverse outcomes such as
decreased decidualization, increased fetal losses, and low birth weight. The study investigated the teratogenic
effects of fructose on rat embryos during organogenesis using whole embryo culture. Within the scope of the
study, 4 groups were formed as control, low, medium, and high-dose fructose (HDF) with 10 embryos in each
group. The 9.5-day-old rat embryos were cultured with different concentrations of fructose (1, 5 and 10 mM) for
48 h and the possible effects of fructose were examined using morphological scoring, histochemistry, immunofluorescence, and TUNEL methods. According to the analyses, protein synthesis and proliferation were
decreased, vascular formation was suppressed, and apoptosis was increased in embryos exposed to fructose,
especially at concentrations of 5 mM and above. According to the morphological scoring results, it was determined that heart, hind limb, and somite development were retarded in all experimental groups compared to the
control group, developmental retardation increased in direct proportion to fructose concentration, and also
significant malformations were observed in all parameters examined in the HDF group. In addition, analysis of
yolk sac diameter, head length, crown rump length and somite numbers showed that these parameters were
significantly decreased in all experimental groups. End of the study, it was concluded that fructose at concentrations of 1 mM and above may induce embryonic development retardation and other anomalies by decreasing
protein synthesis and cell proliferation, suppressing vascular formation, and increasing apoptosis in embryonic
tissues.