The Role of Fructose in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Biology - Diseases, Health, Nutrition, grade: 5.0, Covenant University, course: BCH 418, language: English, abstract: Pancreatic cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow out of control in the pancreas. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Over the past years, the consumption of fructose, especially in its principal form, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, has drastically increased along as, at the same time, nutrition-linked chronic diseases.

Fructose has been linked to carcinogenesis and cancer growth of the pancreas. This occurs by the up-regulation of de novo lipogenesis, reactive oxygen species generation, hepatic insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and cellular oxidative stress, which can lead to the promotion of deoxy ribonucleic acid damage. Due to the differences in chemical structure of fructose and glucose, they both exhibit distinct metabolic properties. Fructose is preferentially used to glucose in the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway that produces >85% of ribose for deoxy ribonucleic acid synthesis in cancer cells. Fructose has similar effects in proliferating human breast cancer, liver cancer cells and other cancers.

Although fruits contain high levels of fructose, it is believed that fruits possess natural antioxidants and phytochemicals, which are thought to inhibit the deleterious effects of fructose in carcinogenesis. The biochemical mechanisms and the roles of high consumption of refined fructose in the progression of pancreatic cancers are discussed.