Oxidative DNA damage: Induction by fructose, in vitro, and its enhancement by hydrogen peroxide.

Sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup comprise nearly equal amounts of glucose and fructose. With the use of high-fructose corn syrup in the food industry, consumption of fructose, which may be a tumor promoter, has increased dramatically. We examined fructose-induced oxidative DNA damage in the presence of Cu(II), with or without the addition of H 2 O 2. With isolated DNA, fructose induced Cu(II)-mediated DNA damage, including formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), to a greater extent than did glucose, and H 2 O 2 enhanced the damage. In cultured human cells, 8-oxodG formation increased significantly following treatment with fructose and the H 2 O 2 -generating enzyme glucose oxidase. Fructose may play an important role in oxidative DNA damage, suggesting a possible mechanism for involvement of fructose in carcinogenesis. ● Fructose and glucose caused Cu(II)-mediated DNA damage and H 2 O 2 enhanced this damage. ● Fructose caused greater oxidative DNA damage than did glucose. ● Fructose-mediated DNA damage may contribute to oncogenesis via oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]