title: Effect of changing the type of dietary carbohydrate or copper level of copper-deficient, fructose-fed rats on tissue sorbitol concentrations.
abstract: This study was designed to examine the relationship between the fructose-copper interaction and tissue sorbitol concentrations. Weanling male rats were provided with a diet which contained 62.7% fructose and 0.6 microg copper/g (F-Cu) for 4 weeks. At this time, rats were changed to either a fructose diet which contained 6.0 microg copper/g or to a starch diet with or without copper for 2 weeks. When compared with the other dietary groups, it was found that rats fed the F-Cu diet grew poorly; had altered relative liver, pancreatic, heart, and kidney sizes; were anemic; and had higher tissue concentrations of pancreatic and heart glucose, liver, pancreatic, heart, and kidney fructose, and liver, pancreatic, and kidney sorbitol. When rats were changed from the F-Cu diet to one containing copper or to a starch diet with or without copper, weight gain, relative liver, pancreatic and heart sizes, and hematocrit improved significantly. In general, there was a reduction in pancreatic and heart glucose; liver, pancreatic, heart, and kidney fructose; and pancreatic and kidney sorbitol concentrations when rats were changed from the F-Cu diet to any of the other diets. We conclude that the fructose-copper interaction may have a common biochemical basis related to the metabolism of glucose, fructose, and sorbitol.
authors.affiliation: Carbohydrate Nutrition Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beal