1856-P: A High Sugar (Fructose) Diet Increases C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in Rhesus Macaques: Relationships with Changes of Apolipoproteins and Adiponectin

Abstract

CRP is produced by the liver in response to factors released from macrophages and adipocytes. High circulating CRP concentrations are therefore an indicator of inflammation and/or injury. We examined the effects of dietary fructose on plasma CRP concentrations in a nonhuman primate model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Adult male rhesus macaques 12±3 years of age, weighing 16.2±1.9 kg (n=29) maintained on chow (LabDiet 5047) ad libitum were provided with flavored fructose beverages containing 75g of fructose (300 kcal/day). Fasting plasma samples were collected at baseline and after 1 and 3 months. Indices of glucose homeostasis (insulin, glucose, HOMA-IR), adiposity/metabolic homeostasis (leptin, adiponectin) and lipid metabolism (TG, cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, VLDL-C, ApoA1, ApoB, ApoC3 and ApoE) were analyzed. Fructose consumption induced weight gain +1.5±0.2 kg, and insulin resistance, accompanied by increases of plasma leptin, decreased adiponectin, hypertriglyceridemia and increases of ApoC3 and ApoE. Plasma CRP increased from 1.9±0.2 mg/l to 2.9±0.3 mg/l (%∆ = 81±13%) and 2.9±0.3 mg/l (%∆ = +91±14%; both p<0.001) at 1 and 3 months respectively. Bivariate correlation analysis of log-transformed data compared fructose-induced changes (Δ) of CRP with Δ’s of body weight and metabolic indices. After 1 month of fructose consumption, strong positive associations were identified between ΔCRP and ΔApoE (r=0.62, p<0.001), ΔApoC3 (r=0.56, p=0.002), and negatively with Δadiponectin (r=-0.49, p=0.007). After 3 months of fructose exposure, the strong associations between ΔCRP and ΔApoE (r=0.49, p=0.007) and significant relationships with ΔApoC3 (r=0.45, p=0.015) and Δadiponectin (r=-0.39, p=0.038) remained. These results support an important link between fructose diet-induced inflammation with changes of the anti-inflammatory adipocyte hormone (adiponectin) and dysregulated hepatic lipoprotein metabolism.