Levy Library Blog - Levy Library Guides at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Each month Levy Library showcases the achievements of Mount Sinai faculty and researchers by highlighting an article and its altmetrics. Altmetrics are alternative measures of impact that capture non-traditional data like abstract views, article downloads, and social media activity. Our altmetrics data is provided by the PlumX platform.

This month we highlight: High-fructose corn syrup enhances intestinal tumor growth in mice. This article was written in part by Kaitlyn Nicole Bosch, PhD student.

Citation

Science, 22 Mar 2019: Vol. 363, Issue 6433, pp. 1345-1349.

Abstract

Excessive consumption of beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is associated with obesity and with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Whether HFCS contributes directly to tumorigenesis is unclear. We investigated the effects of daily oral administration of HFCS in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutant mice, which are predisposed to develop intestinal tumors. The HFCS-treated mice showed a substantial increase in tumor size and tumor grade in the absence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. HFCS increased the concentrations of fructose and glucose in the intestinal lumen and serum, respectively, and the tumors transported both sugars. Within the tumors, fructose was converted to fructose-1-phosphate, leading to activation of glycolysis and increased synthesis of fatty acids that support tumor growth. These mouse studies support the hypothesis that the combination of dietary glucose and fructose, even at a moderate dose, can enhance tumorigenesis.

Fig. 1 HFCS enhances intestinal tumor growth in APC-deficient mice independent of obesity.

(A) Mean weight of untreated APC−/− mice (Con), APC−/− mice treated with a daily oral gavage of HFCS, and APC−/− mice fed with unlimited HFCS in drinking water bottle (WB) following the induction of intestinal tumors. n = 12. (B) Body composition of APC−/− mice in Con (n = 8), HFCS (n = 6), and WB (n = 9) groups were measured after 8 weeks of treatment using magnetic resonance. BM, body mass; FM, fat mass; FFM, fat-free mass. (C) H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) staining of the distal small intestine from APC−/− mice treated with Con or HFCS via daily oral gavage for 8 weeks. Black bar indicates 2 mm. (D) The size of each tumor (diameter) in the intestine was determined in whole-mount tissue after methylene blue staining, using a dissecting microscope. Data represent the number of tumors over 3 mm in diameter in Con and HFCS-treated APC−/− mice. n = 12. (E) Representative pathologic grading of intestinal sections from Con and HFCS-treated APC−/− mice. Black bar indicates 2 mm. White bar indicates 200 μm. (F) Percentage of high-grade lesions from Con (n = 7) and HFCS-treated (n = 8) APC−/− mice. (A) and (B): Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Holm-Sidak post-test for multiple comparisons; (D) and (F): Student’s t test; NS: not significant. **P<0.01. All data represent means ± SEM.

View the PlumX article profile

Gali Halevi, Associate Dean of Library and Information Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine and editor of The Journal of Altmetrics, recently attended the 17th annual International Conference of Scientometrics and Infometrics. ISSI provides an international forum for scientists, research managers and administrators, as well as information and communication related professionals to share research and debate the advancements of informetric and scientometric theory and applications.

Check out some highlights of JOAL at ISSI 2019:

Gali Halevi presenting "Retracted Research Articles from the Retraction Watch Database"

Gali Halevi presenting a touching in memoriam for Judit Bar-Ilan, founder of The Journal of Altmetrics. A brilliant researcher and teacher, Judit was driven by curiosity and drive to grow and develop our understanding of the impact of science and scientific output.

JOAL swag!