Interleukin Expression in THP1 Cells Exposed to Fructose and Uric Acid
Description
Fructose consumption has dramatically increased in the last forty years in the United States. The principal form of consumption is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in soft drinks and processed food. The deleterious effects of excessive fructose consumption on human health are the development of metabolic syndrome, production of fatty liver, and hyperuricemia. These elevated risks drive atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease which are major causes of morbidity/mortality in patients with metabolic syndrome and have been associated with activation of macrophages and formation of the atherosclerotic plaque. Investigators used a cytokine protein profiler assay to analyze twenty-six different interleukins expressed in THP-1 cells exposed to fructose, uric acid, or a combination of fructose and uric acid over 24 hours. Fructose significantly expressed twenty-four interleukins, uric acid twenty interleukins, and the combination of fructose and uric acid had twenty-five interleukins. The most significant expression of interleukin compared to untreated cells occurred in the treatment with fructose and uric acid combined with 23 of the 25 interleukins showing p≤0.01 after Student Paired T tests. Fructose had 20 out of 24 interleukins, and uric acid had 14 out of 20 interleukins with p≤0.01 after Student Paired T tests. This shows that the combination of fructose and uric acid most significantly activated THP-1 cells interleukin expression.
Citation Information
Padmanabhan, Sanyukta; Bluestein, Jacob; and Carnevale, Kevin A., "Interleukin Expression in THP1 Cells Exposed to Fructose and Uric Acid" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 82.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/82
Interleukin Expression in THP1 Cells Exposed to Fructose and Uric Acid
Fructose consumption has dramatically increased in the last forty years in the United States. The principal form of consumption is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in soft drinks and processed food. The deleterious effects of excessive fructose consumption on human health are the development of metabolic syndrome, production of fatty liver, and hyperuricemia. These elevated risks drive atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease which are major causes of morbidity/mortality in patients with metabolic syndrome and have been associated with activation of macrophages and formation of the atherosclerotic plaque. Investigators used a cytokine protein profiler assay to analyze twenty-six different interleukins expressed in THP-1 cells exposed to fructose, uric acid, or a combination of fructose and uric acid over 24 hours. Fructose significantly expressed twenty-four interleukins, uric acid twenty interleukins, and the combination of fructose and uric acid had twenty-five interleukins. The most significant expression of interleukin compared to untreated cells occurred in the treatment with fructose and uric acid combined with 23 of the 25 interleukins showing p≤0.01 after Student Paired T tests. Fructose had 20 out of 24 interleukins, and uric acid had 14 out of 20 interleukins with p≤0.01 after Student Paired T tests. This shows that the combination of fructose and uric acid most significantly activated THP-1 cells interleukin expression.
