Fructose Alters Intermediary Metabolism of Glucose in Human Adipocytes and Diverts Glucose to Serine Oxidation in the One–Carbon Cycle Energy Producing Pathway

Increased consumption of sugar and fructose as sweeteners has resulted in the utilization of fructose as an alternative metabolic fuel that may compete with glucose and alter its metabolism. To explore this, human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) preadipocytes were differentiated to adipocytes in the presence of 0, 1, 2.5, 5 or 10 mM of fructose added to a medium containing 5 mM of glucose representing the normal blood glucose concentration. Targeted tracer [1,2-(13)C(2)]-d-glucose fate association approach was employed to examine the influence of fructose on the intermediary metabolism of glucose. Increasing concentrations of fructose robustly increased the oxidation of [1,2-(13)C(2)]-d-glucose to (13)CO(2) (p < 0.000001). However, glucose-derived (13)CO(2) negatively correlated with (13)C labeled glutamate, (13)C palmitate, and M(+1) labeled lactate. These are strong markers of limited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid synthesis, pentose cycle fluxes, substrate turnover and NAD(+)/NADP(+) or ATP production from glucose via complete oxidation, indicating diminished mitochondrial energy metabolism. Contrarily, a positive correlation was observed between glucose-derived (13)CO(2) formed and (13)C oleate and doses of fructose which indicate the elongation and desaturation of palmitate to oleate for storage. Collectively, these results suggest that fructose preferentially drives glucose through serine oxidation glycine cleavage (SOGC pathway) one-carbon cycle for NAD(+)/NADP(+) production that is utilized in fructose-induced lipogenesis and storage in adipocytes.